Tumblr Archive
by YoursAlways
Summary: A collection of Kagome-centric short stories and drabbles from my writing blog on Tumblr. Series, pairings, and ratings will vary.
1. Haru (Free!)

Series: Inuyasha/Free!  
Pairing: Kagome/Haru  
Notes: side-story to "Fish and Freedom"

* * *

"Are you ready?" Kagome asked with a small smile as she put the finishing touches on his light blue scale makeup.

Haru nodded, and even though the response was small, Kagome liked to think that she'd gotten pretty good at reading the quiet swimmer. There was something in his eyes when he looked up at her as she leaned back to observe her handiwork. His usual apathy was missing from the deep blue of his irises. Instead, it was replaced with what Kagome would call excitement if she were pressed to put a word to it.

"Well, let's go then," she told him as she turned off the lights of her makeshift vanity and stood.

Each grabbing their bags which held their tails, they made their way to the prep tank that Kagome used to get ready for the pre-show announcements. Haru had been going through small waves of anxiety and excitement in the past week leading up to this moment, but now that it was here, any traces of lingering anxiety melted away. He was about to be able to put months of practice and training into practice on a new stage, and he honestly couldn't have been more ready.

Shucking their sweatpants to reveal the flesh-toned swim briefs that they both wore, Haru wondered exactly when this part of their routine had become normal. The first time they'd stripped down to their bottoms together, even Haru had blushed a little. He was used to being in swimwear around other people, but the bottoms he wore underneath his tail covered much less than his usual jammers. Not to mention the fact that they were meant to match as close to their skin tones as possible, and it very much looked like both of them were nude. But somewhere along the line, it had just become one more thing, one more part of their "normal."

Haru sat on the ground so that he could wiggle into his tail, something he still wasn't quite as fast as Kagome at doing, and took a deep breath as he scooted over to the edge of the tank and slipped into the water. Joining Kagome in their warm-ups of a few laps around the tank and some practice dives, Haru felt his legs shift and settle within the silicone as he swam. When Kagome caught his attention and motioned back towards the surface of the water, he quickly followed her lead.

Breaking the water's surface and taking in a gulp of air, Haru tried not to grin at the slight burn in his lungs. The job of professional merman wasn't something he'd ever considered before it was right in his face, but he had to admit that he was enjoying it and the new challenges it posed more and more.

Kagome reached onto the tank platform where their bags and sweatpants remained to grab her waterproof sign announcing their upcoming show. Turning back to look at Haru as his hair stuck to his face, she smiled as warmth filled her chest. She was proud of her new performance partner. He'd listened to her and worked hard to get ready to be at this point, and she was excited for him. She could remember the rush of adrenaline and nerves before her first show and said, "This is it. You ready?" At his nod, her smile widened. "Then follow me, and don't forget to wave at the visitors."

One more deep breath and Haru was under the water again, following Kagome on their way to the underwater tunnels that the aquarium guests walked through to see the habitats up close.

Haru knew that he wanted the merman job at the aquarium because it would allow him to be in and near the water and swim with the freedom he loved, but when he saw the aquarium goers react to him for the first time, when he saw the first small group of kids excitedly wave at him and then light up when he waved back, he found a whole new reason to love his job. And suddenly, the only real reservation he still had about being a merman, interacting with an audience as a performer, seemed like such a small worry as he just went with it; blowing bubbles, doing flips, pointing out the sign that Kagome still held, waving at squealing groups of children.

Stopping at one of the several air hoses dangling into the water for them to use, Haru took a breath and got ready to finish off their short pre-show tour only to pull up short when he returned to the plexiglass tunnel. Staring out at him was a group of people, but he could only focus on one person and their red eyes that he hadn't seen in months.

It was slow, but once it started it couldn't be stopped. Haru had to watch from his side of the glass as Rin's face gradually cracked and he busted out into what was surely loud laughter. Haru didn't even have to be able to hear him to know that Rin was probably wheezing, one hand braced against the tunnel just to keep himself standing. Cutting a small glare at Makoto, Haru was somehow more irritated by his friend's innocent grin than he was Rin's laughter, which still didn't seem to be dying down since it started up again each time he looked up at Haru.

What Haru didn't expect was to hear a muffled and very bubbly laugh. Whipping his head over to look in Kagome's direction, he saw that she had one hand pressed over her mouth as bubbles continued to leak out with each shake of her shoulders. Soon enough, she was running out of air and had to hand their sign off to him as she went to grab an air hose. He frowned at her as she sucked in a deep breath before letting it back out in a large stream of bubbles only to take another breath.

Kagome was still grinning at him from around the air hose even as he frowned at her. It didn't hit him until much later, after their actual performances and celebration with their coworkers and he was home again in bed, that while Rin's laughter and Makoto's grin had irritated him, Kagome's leaked giggles were a pleasant memory. He tried not to think too long on exactly why that was.


	2. Kurama (YuYu Hakusho)

Series: Inuyasha/YuYu Hakusho  
Pairing: Kagome/Kurama

* * *

Finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, Kurama watched several members of his fan club walk off in less of a huff than they'd approached him in. With the latest rumors around school, it wasn't the first time he'd been asked to confirm or deny them.

Kurama gathered up his things as to head home for the day and made it to the first set of stairs before a new voice stopped him.

"How troublesome it must be to have so many devoted and concerned fans."

Turning to face the boy that had spoken out, Kurama forced an at least polite smile as he greeted, "Kaito."

"It's a little early for you to already be going home, isn't it?" Kaito asked as he casually brushed past Kurama and continued on his way down the stairs, schoolbag in hand.

Kurma followed after on his own way and answered, "My mother asked me to be home early this evening, so yes, I'm leaving a earlier than I normally would."

"Your fan club probably thinks you're meeting another girl for a date," Kaito teased as they hit the first landing and started down the next flight. "That's what the latest rumors would suggest, at least."

"I didn't think you were the type to give in to gossip, Kaito," Kurma smirked at his academic rival.

Kaito actually laughed at that. "I'm not bored enough to actually participate and spread it around, but I can't help what I overhear between classes." Things were quiet between them until they hit the bottom floor and headed down the hallway and towards the front exit. "Though," Kaito started again, "it would probably be to my advantage if the rumors were true. You know, if you really were having to split your time between studying and a girlfriend."

"It feels like you're fishing for something," Kurama finally said. The air was warm and just a little humid as they stepped outside, the sun still fairly early in its descent. In truth, Kurama was tempted to just start telling people that he had indeed started seeing someone. The only thing really stopping him from confirming the latest gossip was any possible backlash it might have on the person he cared about. His fan club had hinted more than once that they didn't think anyone was really good enough to date him and would have to meet their standards to gain their approval.

While Kurama certainly knew that he didn't need anyone else's approval to start dating someone (except, of course, for the person he was dating), he was aware of just how difficult school life could become for his girlfriend should word get out.

When Kurama stopped walking part of the way across the courtyard, Kaito stopped alongside him to say, "I could be called many things, Kurama, but I'm not sure that "nosy" is one of them. "Curious" might be a better fit."

Kurama sighed before he glanced to the side where the archery club's practice field could be seen. Kaito followed his line of sight out of reflex and just barely managed to catch sight of the club's captain, Higurashi Kagome, hitting a perfect bullseye on her target. Once she relaxed and released the breath she'd been holding, she turned to look their way and smiled at them happily. Well, smiled happily at Kurama, but that was nothing new since most all of the girls (and some of the boys) did that. What _was_ different was when Kaito looked back at Kurama, his rival was smiling _back_. And it wasn't the usual fake polite and placating smile he gave to the girls who vied for his attention. It was genuine and, dare he say, smitten?

He could only look between the two a couple of times before they broke their gaze and the moment was gone. Kaito almost rolled his eyes at all of it. Because _really_? They they be much more cliche? Two of the school's most objectively beautiful people, both intelligent and popular among their peers, had started dating in secret to avoid the drama it would inevitably stir up? Kaito finally had to give in and indulge in an eye roll, but his curiosity was more-or-less sated and he decided to let it go. Stepping away from Kurama to continue on his way, Kaito said, "I won't tell anyone. As I said, I don't participate in spreading gossip. But try not to let your studies fall too far behind. When I get the top score on the next test, I'd like for it to actually mean something."

Watching as his not-quite-friend but definitely-not-enemy walked away, Kurama spared one more smile in Kagome's direction and was able to catch her discreet wave and gesture to call her later. With a nod that he'd gotten the message, Kurama made his way towards the school gates and home.


	3. Leo (Blood Blockade Battlefront)

Series: Inuyasha/Blood Blockade Battlefront  
Pairing: Kagome/Leonardo Watch  
Prompt: I need you to wake up, because I can't do this without you.

* * *

"Leo? Leo, come on," Kagome pleaded from her perch on the edge of the office couch. She gently tapped Leo's cheek several times in an attempt to rouse him, but it didn't seem to be working.

"He awake yet?" Zapp asked as he walked up behind the couch and peered over the back.

" _No_ ," Kagome ground out as she sat up to glare at the tall man. "He's _not_. Maybe if you'd thought to take him straight to a hospital, he'd be awake by now. Or we'd at least know why he's not."

"How was I supposed to know he'd be out this long? I'm not a doctor."

"No, you're his _partner_. You're supposed to keep him safe! You know he's not a fighter."

Kagome turned her attention back down to Leo when he made a soft noise and shifted a little. She didn't care that Zapp had snapped something back at her and paid him no attention as someone else from the office led him away from the couch. All of her focus was on Leo, looking for any sign that he might be waking up soon. Gently, she lifted one of his eyelids with her thumb and watched the dimmed luminous blue patterns in his eyes swirl at a lazy pace. His eyes hadn't reacted to her or the office light at all.

"Please, Leo," she begged quietly as she leaned down to touch her forehead to his. Taking one of his hands in hers and holding it tightly against her still-flat stomach, she whispered, "I need you to wake up, because I can't do this without you."


	4. Genos (One Punch Man)

Series: Inuyasha/One Punch Man  
Pairing: Kagome/Genos  
Prompt: Is there a reason you're naked in my bed?

* * *

Deep breath in through the nose. Deep breath out through the mouth.

Kagome pinched her lips in between her teeth as she tried very hard not to laugh at the sight she'd come home to. "Is there a reason you're naked in my bed?"

Genos, who had been reclined in a pose Kagome supposed was intended to be seductive, frowned at her reaction. He sat up a little so that he was propped up on one elbow, his exposed metal plates shifting and layering with each movement, and seemed to struggle for a moment with what his next words would be.

"Miss Fubuki left a book at Master's apartment the last time she came over. I asked Master about it and he said that some women read books like that because they find the imagery arousing," he explained slowly, watching Kagome's expression for any indication on whether or not she approved.

Looking around at the candles that provided mood lighting, the rose petals scattered across the floor and bed (she almost sighed at the thought of having to clean them all up later), and…was that a plate of strawberries on the nightstand? Kagome spoke lowly and mostly to herself even though she knew Genos could hear her, "That actually explains a lot."

After she set her purse aside on top of her dresser, Kagome crossed the room and crawled onto the bed so that she could sit next to her superhero boyfriend. She ran a hand over one of his pectoral plates, laughing lightly as a gust of warm air hit her palm when it passed over a vent. "Genos," she said so that she was sure she had his attention. "The thought and planning is appreciated very much." With a quick kiss to his cheek, she added, "But the execution is a little over the top and…well, cheesy."

"So I should get rid of everything?" He asked as he moved to sit up fully only to be stopped by Kagome's hand which still rested against his chest.

"I didn't say that," Kagome grinned. "Let's just not make this a regular thing, okay?" She watched his expression shift into understanding but leaned forward to kiss him before he could reply.


	5. Koujaku (Dramatical Murder)

Series: Inuyasha/Dramatical Murder  
Pairing: Kagome/Kojaku  
Prompt: Have you lost your damn mind?!

* * *

It had been a long day and all Koujaku really wanted to do was come home and cuddle. It was too bad that those dreams were shot dead the moment he walked through the door.

Kagome sat on the end of the bed, bouncing her leg, towel draped over her head with only her face left visible. "Okay," she said as she held up her hands to stop him from from saying anything. "Just…don't freak out."

That alone was enough to make him nervous, but when Kagome pulled the towel away from her head, Koujaku swore he felt his heart stop. He tried, he really really tried, to keep his voice even, but his shock was just a little too strong. "Have you lost your damn _mind_?!"

"I said not to freak out," Kagome repeated.

Koujaku took a deep breath, but how could he _not_ freak out? When he'd left home that morning, Kagome's hair had been long and full. Now, it fell to her shoulders, uneven and choppy.

"It's not straight, is it?" Kagome asked.

He couldn't even answer yet. Approaching her, he reached out a hand to run his fingers through the _much_ shorter stands and sighed. Yes, it was real. Kagome had really hacked off most of her hair. Koujaku pushed her question aside for the moment as he asked, "What in the world possessed you to do this?" Had she forgotten that this was what he _does_? Sure, he liked her long hair, but he would have cut it for her if she'd asked.

Kagome shrugged. "A whim? I don't know. It's just so heavy and hot and so much maintenance and I guess I just kind of snapped and the next thing I knew…" She trailed off as she gestured vaguely to her head.

Koujaku gave her a small smile. Well, what's done was done, now he just needed to tweak the results a little. He just hoped Kagome would come to him first the next time she needed a trim.


	6. Death the Kid (Soul Eater)

Series: Inuyasha/Soul Eater  
Pairing: Kagome/Death the Kid  
Prompt: I'm pregnant.

* * *

"Kid?" Kagome called into the large house as she stepped inside and pushed the door shut with her foot. "I'm home!"

She was just setting down her grocery bags in the kitchen when she heard her husband call out for her. "In the kitchen!" She answered, dusting her hands off on her pants and walking back towards the kitchen entrance.

"You were gone longer than I expected," Kid said as he met her in the doorway. "Was everything okay?"

"Everything was fine," Kagome laughed as she leaned up to give Kid a quick kiss. "You worry too much. I do need to run to the bathroom though, so could you go ahead and start unpacking the groceries?"

"Sure," Kid smiled down at Kagome as she trotted off down the hall.

As he went through the top items in the paper bags, Kid noticed that Kagome had strayed from the set list again, but then again, he'd stopped expecting her to follow it years ago. Setting aside different types of fruit as well as a couple of candy bars, Kid continued to pull out item after item only to pause when he pulled out a pack of two baby bottles bound together, one with a pink cap and the other with blue. When he dared to peer into the bag, the rest of it was filled with small odds and ends for infants.

"So how much did you actually get put up?"

Kid spun around to stare wide-eyed at Kagome where she was leaning against the kitchen door frame and smiling at him. The words just wouldn't come and all he could do was hold out the bottles questioningly.

Kagome waited a few seconds to see if he was actually going to say anything before her smile widened and she rolled her eyes. Nodding, she slowly confirmed, "I'm pregnant." Sometimes Kagome forgot just how fast Kid could move when he wanted to, because he had her in his arms before the plastic bottles even clattered to the kitchen tile. "Air," she wheezed a laugh as she patted her husbands back weakly. "Kid, I need air."

Still not able to find the right words yet, all Kid could do was pull away (if only slightly) and laugh as tears gathered in his eyes and he kissed every inch of his wife's face.


	7. Hiei (YuYu Hakusho)

Series: Inuyasha/YuYu Hakusho  
Pairing: Kagome/Hiei  
Prompt: Come over here and make me.

* * *

Surely the woman had a death wish. Hiei was aware that he technically lived in her house, but he laid actual claim to precious few things, damn it. He'd even gone so far as to write his name on it!

Yet there she was, sitting at the kitchen table, spoon in mouth, _his_ ice cream carton in hand, staring right at him and not even bothering to hide since she knew she'd been caught. "Put it _back_ ," Hiei said slowly.

Kagome hesitated a moment before she removed the spoon from her mouth, scooped up another bite, and boldly challenged "No" before sticking the spoon back in her mouth.

"Last warning," Hiei glared. "Put it back."

There was only a moment of debate in Kagome's mind before she dropped the spoon back in the almost empty carton and firmly said, "Come over here and make me." And Hiei did exactly that.

She wasn't sure what she'd be able to do against him, really. She didn't want to hurt him, but without using her powers to her advantage, Hiei was much faster and stronger than she was. And now he stood with the ice cream carton in one hand that was held as far away from her as he could get it.

"Oh, come on, Hiei!" Kagome whined as she quickly got to her feet and reached for the carton again only to be held back by Hiei's other arm. "It's been a long day, and I just wanted some ice cream. I'll buy you a new one!" She paused as a new thought struck her. "Wait a minute. I bought that one! Give it back!"

"It had my name on it," Hiei argued without budging in his stance of keeping Kagome away from what he'd claimed as his ice cream.

"You can't just write your name on something and it automatically become yours!"

"I beg to differ."

Pulling back, Kagome frowned at the demon before she grinned with a new idea. "Fine. If that's how you want to play it." Kagome quickly picked up the ice cream carton's lid from the table and got some of the melted ice cream clinging to the lid's inside on her finger.

Hiei tried to hold her back again, but with the ice cream still in one hand, his reach with one arm wasn't long enough to keep her completely away and he ended up with melted ice cream smeared across his cheek.

"There," Kagome smiled to herself as she licked her finger clean. Vindicated, she finally gave up and told him, "Goodnight, Hiei."

Watching Kagome go, Hiei quickly finished off the rest of _his_ ice cream before he caught his reflection in the kitchen window. _Kagome_ was written messily across his cheek in dripping chocolate ice cream.


	8. Chiyuki (Death Parade)

Series: Inuyasha/Death Note  
Pairing: Kagome/Chiyuki  
Prompt: Just once.

* * *

Chiyuki knocked lightly against the door, still unsure if she should or even wanted to be there. It was late and she prayed that her soft knocked both did and didn't wake up the room's occupant. Waiting a few more seconds for any sort of response, she'd almost talked herself into going back to her own room when the soft 'click' of the lock being turned and the door opening caught her attention.

"Chiyuki?" Kagome asked sleepily. "Is everything okay?"

Taking a deep breath, Chiyuki whispered, "I had another nightmare." It still seemed like Kagome was trying to wake up enough to have an actual conversation, so she continued, "Well, you said that the next time I had one, I could…"

Light finally took in Kagome's eyes as the pieces started to fit together. "Oh, right right! Come in," she offered as she stepped to the side and waited for Chiyuki to enter her room.

Chiyuki had confided in Kagome some time ago that she would occasionally have nightmares, and while she could never remember what they were about after waking up, they always left her rattled and made it hard for her to calm down again. Even now, following after Kagome through the dimly lit hallways, she could feel her heart trying to race at the thought of sleeping again.

When they got to Kagome's room, Kagome easily slipped back into bed before patting the spot next to her in invitation. Chiyuki hesitated before looking from the bed to Kagome and saying, "Just once. Just for tonight. I don't need to sleep next to someone every time I have a nightmare."

Kagome nodded in understanding and her response of "It's okay" hit Chiyuki on multiple levels.

Before she could think on it anymore, Chiyuki slid under the covers and watched Kagome lean over her to turn out the small lamp on the nightstand. In the dark, Chiyuki was unsure of what she should do since she was still a little keyed up, but she felt her mind go blank when Kagome wrapped her arms around her and pulled her closer.

Chiyuki was surprised. Kagome was a spirit unable to pass on. And even though Chiyuki knew that spirits that came to the tower used the false dummy bodies, she couldn't help but think on how soft and warm Kagome was. She didn't feel fake at all. At that moment, she was a very real and warm presence that enveloped Chiyuki and made her feel safe.

Letting out a deep sigh, Chiyuki finally relaxed into Kagome's embrace and draped one arm around Kagome's waist in response. Neither of them said anything, but as she drifted back off to sleep, Chiyuki could feel Kagome's fingers running through her hair and her lips ghosting across her forehead. And despite her earlier anxieties, Chiyuki was able to sleep peacefully for the rest of the evening.


	9. Sebastian (Black Butler)

Series: Inuyasha/Black Butler  
Pairing: Kagome/Sebastian  
Prompt: I wish I could hate you.

* * *

If you were to ask any member of the Phantomhive household, any one of them would say that Sebastian Michaelis and Kagome Higurashi should never be in the same room. The only thing that could come of it would be a tense atmosphere and increasingly creative backhanded insults.

If you were to ask either person in question, you would receive reactions that were both incredibly different and strikingly similar. Sebastian would smile tensely and politely explain that he would rather die in some very imaginative ways than be forced to share in the company of a particular Japanese woman. And Kagome, well, the level of shock and indignation that you would even _suggest_ she spend time with the Phantomhive butler would probably be enough to make you feel guilty for even asking in the first place.

But despite all accounts that seemed to suggest that the two would strangle the other as soon as look at them, it was a very different story behind closed doors.

Late at night, in one of their bedrooms or perhaps even in the butler's pantry, heated hands tugged and pushed aside clothes. Black, talon-like claws raked across sun-kissed skin, just shy of drawing blood. Small hands crackling with pure energy smoothed across a pale chest leaving angry red trails wherever they touched. They were as opposite as their goals, one set on consuming the soul of a young boy, the other set on saving it. And even though they couldn't help but hurt each other whenever they were near, they were always drawn to be together.

Sebastian breathed hotly against the shell of Kagome's ear before running his tongue along the outside edge. "I wish I could hate you," he whispered, slightly breathless with a dark chuckle.

Pulling back a few inches with her hands firmly gripping his open shirt collar, Kagome boldly met Sebastian's fiery red gaze as she said, "Would it be cliched to say I feel the same way?" Kagome yanked on Sebastian's shirt again before a wicked grin could spread across his face completely. Neither of them could deny their attraction, but that certainly didn't mean that they had to like it.


	10. Kuroo (Haikyuu!)

Series: Inuyasha/Haikyuu!  
Pairing: Kagome/Kuroo  
Prompt: You fainted...straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn't have to go to such extremes.

* * *

Kagome sighed and leaned back in her seat as the bell for the lunch break rang. That huge, horrible test she'd nearly killed herself studying for had been collected and it was finally time to eat.

She'd studied late into the night the evening before, even forgetting to even touch the plate of food her mother had brought up to her room for her, and it was just her luck to oversleep that morning and have to run out the door without the chance to eat breakfast. So having gone nearly twenty-four hours without eating anything, Kagome was starving and more than ready to get down to the cafeteria for something to eat.

Pushing her chair back and standing, Kagome didn't make it far before her world tilted sharply and her feet got tangled up beneath her. She barely had enough clarity left to put her arms out in front of her, but it turned out to be unneeded.

"Whoa there," a voice said as she was easily caught in strong arms.

Kagome took a moment to take a few deep breaths and blink the darkness from the edges of her vision before she looked up at the person who'd caught her.

"You fainted…straight into my arms," Kuroo said with a teasing grin. "You know, if you wanted my attention you didn't have to go to such extremes."

Kuroo sat next to her in class and they were on friendly enough terms that his teasing really didn't bother her, but being as tired and hungry as she was, Kagome really couldn't find it in herself to come up with a comeback. "Thanks, Kuroo," she told him as she steadied herself back on her own feet. Standing up straight, she had to blink a few more times as another wave of dizziness hit her.

"Kagome?" Kuroo asked in a more serious tone as he saw how pale and out of it his classmate seemed to be. "You okay? You don't look so great."

"Gee, thanks," Kagome rolled her eyes, which turned out to be a bad idea. Placing a steadying hand on top of her desk, she said, "I just need to get something to eat. I didn't have breakfast this morning. Or dinner last night." She was surprised when she felt firm hands on her shoulders pushing her back into her seat.

"Well, the way you look now, I don't think you'd make it down the stairs in one piece," Kuroo laughed. "You stay here and I'll go get something to bring back for you. Is there anything you don't like?"

Kagome shook her head before she tried to protest, "You don't have to–"

"I'll be back in a minute!" Kuroo told her with a wink and firmly ignoring her protests.

Laying her head down on her desk and watching Kuroo breeze out of the classroom, Kagome thought about how despite what some people said about him, Kuroo really was a nice guy.


	11. Mikoto (K (K-Project))

Series: Inuyasha/K (K-Project)  
Pairing: Kagome/Mikoto  
Prompt: I thought you were dead.

* * *

Waking up was slow and difficult. His entire body felt heavy and all he really wanted was to give into that weight and sleep for a while longer. But he was gently being coaxed out of his drowsiness by a soft hand, light strokes down his cheeks and soothing brushes through his hair.

When Mikoto opened his eyes, he almost immediately shut them again. He was in a room filled with bright natural light, and even with the shadow cast over his face by the back of the couch he way lying on, it was intense. Trying again, he slowly cracked open one eye only to have both fly open when he saw the person sitting in the floor next to his couch.

"Finally awake, huh?" Kagome smiled at him as she pulled her hand out of his hair.

Mikoto rolled onto his side to prop himself up on one elbow. He didn't answer. He couldn't. Staring hard at the woman by his side, he looked for any indication that he was mistaken. When he found none, he reached out to touch her face, watched her eyes close as she leaned her cheek into his palm, felt her smile when his thumb brushed over her cheekbone. "Kagome?" He asked, his voice rough with sleep and emotion. "I thought you were dead."

Kagome's eyes opened and Mikoto felt a weight settle in his stomach at the sadness reflected in those blue depths.

"I am," she told him as she laid a hand on top of the one still cupping her face. "And so are you."

Mikoto was about to tell her she was wrong, ask why she would say something like that, when things slowly started coming back to him. The past couple of weeks, Totsuka's death, the last damn he gave slipping away, the small war that hit its climax on that school island.

"I know it doesn't feel real at first," Kagome told him with sad understanding. "But it happened and now you're here." She watched him work through his recent memories before she finally couldn't hold it in any longer and spoke, "What were you thinking, Mikoto?"

"I wasn't," he answered easily as he pulled away from the past and focused on what was right in front of him. "I just didn't care anymore. I lost you and then that idiot Totsuka, and I was just tired of losing."

Kagome snorted, "So you decided to take on Reisi and the rest of Scepter 4? Good call."

Mikoto chuckled as he leaned forward to rest his head on Kagome's shoulder. Sliding his hand from her cheek to the back of her neck, he turned his face towards the curve of her throat and inhaled. He'd missed this. "Still kinda feels like I won somehow."

"Well, let me assure you that you did _not_ ," Kagome chastised.

"Do I get to stay here with you now?"

"Yes," Kagome answered as she tilted her head to rest on top of his.

"Then even if I lost the war, I won this," he reasoned. "Whatever _this_ is."


	12. Hinata (Naruto)

Series: Inuyasha/Naruto  
Pairing: Kagome/Hinata  
Prompt: Wanna dance?

* * *

The soft glow of festival lanterns covered the small village that they'd been sent to, even if the large party was more of an impromptu celebration than an actual festival. Still, Hinata thought it looked like everyone was having fun from where she watched on the sidelines of the festivities.

Their mission had originally been an escort mission, only warranting a higher ranked team because of information on the dangers of the area they'd be traveling through. But, as things seemed to go more often than not, it had turned out to be much more difficult than anticipated. Not that they hadn't been able to handle it, but it certainly wasn't what they'd been expecting. In the end though, they'd managed to get their charge, a priestess named Kagome, to the small mountain village that had needed her so desperately.

Hinata smiled softly as Kagome detached herself from the main crowd of villagers and made straight for her. She was slightly out of breath from dancing and laughing, and Hinata could feel her cheeks warming to match Kagome's of flushed cheeks. "Wanna dance?" Kagome asked as she pushed some loose hair out of her face. "A new dance is about to start."

"I don't know the steps," Hinata hedged. She wanted to accept, but she didn't want to get in the way of others trying to enjoy themselves.

"Don't worry about it!" Kagome laughed, and for just a moment Hinata thought Kagome was retracting her offer. "I'll teach you as we go. It's not a hard one and I'm sure you're a natural."

Hinata met Kagome's expectant look before finally taking her hand and being led away from where she'd spent most of the evening.

The music started off slow and Kagome quietly explained the next steps and moves so that Hinata could keep pace until she started to settle into the rhythm and pattern. As she gained confidence, Hinata glanced around and came to a very quick realization. All of the other pairs dancing were obviously couples. No parents with their children, no siblings playfully pushing each other in between steps, no friends quietly giggling together as they spun around. Just sets of people who were obviously lost in each other and the music.

Looking back at Kagome, Hinata was caught off guard. Kagome was watching her in a way that told her that the priestess knew that she'd finally realized the significance of this particular dance. The next thing Hinata knew, Kagome was squeezing her hand a little tighter and moved just a little closer as the music continued behind them.

"Thanks for accepting my invitation to dance," Kagome said softly before quickly leaning in to leave a peck on Hinata's cheek without disrupting their dance steps.

Eyes wide and cheeks darkening to an even deeper red than they already were, Hinata sighed out the shaky breath she'd been holding and smiled. "Of course," she nodded, squeezing Kagome's hand in return.


	13. Haru (My Little Monster)

Series: Inuyasha/My Little Monster  
Pairing: Kagome/Haru  
Prompt: You heard me. Take. It [them]. Off. (I changed it a bit)

* * *

Fresh out of a hot bath, Kagome padded down the hall in a pair of thin socks, cursing the cold floor with every step. "Haru, have you seen…my…" Trailing off, she narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend as he quickly drew his feet the rest of the way under the blanket he was semi-cocooned in and watched her cautiously. "What are you wearing?" She asked sweetly as she walked closer.

"Nothing," Haru answered quickly and pulled his blanket up from his chin to just under his nose.

Their heat was out and the house was freezing and nobody was coming to fix it until the next morning, so they were both trying to make do until then. Standing next to the couch and looking down at the ball of blanket-wrapped Haru, Kagome asked, "Are you wearing my fluffy socks?"

"No," Haru said, still not taking his eyes off of Kagome. But when her eyes narrowed on him even more, he slowly corrected, "…Maybe."

"Take them off."

"But Kagome!" Haru complained as he pulled the blanket back down so that he wasn't muffled. "My feet are cold!"

"And you think mine aren't?" Honestly, Kagome was perfectly happy sharing a lot of things. She'd share the blankets. She'd share her hot chocolate. She'd share the one tiny space heater that they had. She'd even happy share her body heat. But she would _not_ share her super soft and fluffy best-and-warmest-things-to-ever-grace-feet socks. When Haru didn't move to do anything, she repeated, "You heard me. Take. Them. Off."

"Do you really want to wear them after I've been wearing them?" Haru asked in a last ditch effort to keep his pilfered footwear.

"You had a bath earlier," Kagome reasoned. "Besides, I'll be more concerned about getting your feet germs on a day when mine aren't turning to ice."

Haru debated on his next plan for only a moment before he flew into action. Shedding his blanket for just a moment, he quickly dragged Kagome down into his lap as she yelped and flailed at her loss of balance. Once they were both wrapped up in the warmest blanket they had, he grinned down at her, "Now you and your feet are warm in here with me, right?"

Kagome glared at that dumb grin that tried its best to be infectious. Wiggling this way and that, she finally manged to work her socks off and stick her feet up the wide legs of Haru's sweatpants, pressing her frozen feet against his skin.

Haru shrieked at the first contact before whining, "No fair!"

"Yes fair," Kagome argued. "Besides, you're probably stretching out my socks…"

"I'm sure it'll be fine."

"You're buying me a new pair."

"…Does that mean that these ones are mine now?"

"Yeah, I guess," Kagome sighed.

"Okay," Haru hummed happily as he tightened his hold on Kagome and snuggled down into the warm little nest they made together.


	14. Nicolas (Gangsta)

Series: Inuyasha/Gangsta.  
Pairing: Kagome/Nicolas  
Prompt: I'm pregnant.

* * *

Kagome was humming as she shut the door to her apartment behind her, bag of takeout in hand. Clicking her tongue a few times as she walked into the small kitchen, she went about unpacking the food containers until her cat jumped up on the counter and started nudging her elbow with its head. Kagome knew that it was only a matter of time, so she wasn't surprised in the least when a set of arms wrapped around her waist before a heavy chin rested on her shoulder.

There was no point in calling out to Nicolas when she got home, so unless she urgently needed to find him, Kagome usually let her cat alert Nic to her return. Holding up one of the containers and tapping the lid with her finger, she felt Nic pull away from her as he moved to the cabinet where the plates were kept.

Kagome accepted the plates handed to her and started plating their lunch. She knew that Nic was watching her and waiting, so she decided that it was as good a time as any to tell him her news. Looking up at her boyfriend, Kagome made sure that he had a clear view of her face as she said, "I went to see Dr. Theo while I was out."

 _You okay?_ Nic signed casually. He knew that Kagome had been sick on and off for a while, and he'd been trying not to pester her too much about going to see the doc.

"Mmhmm," Kagome hummed with a smile and a nod. "Nic," she said, watching his eyes flick between her mouth and her eyes as he waited for her to continue. "I'm pregnant."

Nic's eyes went wide and his face was completely blank for several seconds. Finally, he signed _Really?_

Still smiling, though a little less brightly, Kagome nodded. "Definitely," she confirmed. "He ran the tests."

Mouth going into a thin line, Nic's eyes darted off to the side before he looked back at Kagome and tentatively signed _Mine?_

"Of course!" Kagome nearly yelled, officially offended. Food forgotten, she wrapped her arms protectively around her middle as she watched Nic closely. She'd been ecstatic about the news. Admittedly shocked, but still happy. She never considered that Nic would be any different, but he almost looked terrified. Definitely panicked. "Nic," Kagome finally spoke and signed simultaneously so that he would know she was more serious about the conversation. "Are you not okay with this?"

Nic was still quiet, eyes moving between hers and her stomach. After several long moments, each of which made Kagome's heart sink a little more, his hand lifted to grab his tags in a white-knuckle grip, and Kagome finally started to understand a little more of what he was thinking.

"Nic," she hurried to speak and sign again. "I'm happy," she stressed. "I want this."

"But," Nic actually spoke, his voice sounding even rougher than usual. "It'll be tag."

"And that's okay," Kagome reassured him, her smile trying to return despite the worry still sitting in her chest. "There's nothing wrong with that. It won't be without love." She knew that Nic's childhood hadn't been great, to put it lightly, and that many Twilights lived hard lives. She'd been so excited about the news that she hadn't thought about how his first reaction would likely be to worry about their child's quality of life.

Nic seemed to think on that for a minute before he finally looked back up at Kagome and signed with a small grin _I'm dad?_

"Yeah," Kagome laughed, tears of relief gathering in her eyes. "You're gonna be a dad."

When Nic kissed her, it was deep and slow and full of love. Breaking the kiss, he pressed his forehead to hers, hand buried in her hair, and released a deep sigh. He pulled back slowly to look at her as he said, rough and slightly broken, "'m 'appy too."

Kagome couldn't hold back her bright smile at hearing that. "So should we tell Worick he's going to be an uncle?"

Nic's chuckle was deep as he signed _He's gonna cry._


	15. Aoba (Dramatical Murder)

Series: Inuyasha/Dramatical Murder  
Pairing: Kagome/Aoba

* * *

"You're late," Ren pointed out from where he trotted along by Aoba's feet. "Tae said she needed those groceries for dinner."

"I know," Aoba groaned as he tried to wiggle the front door open with his foot, secretly hoping that he hadn't locked it and also that Tae hadn't noticed. When it became obvious that the door wouldn't yield to his foot alone, he shifted his shopping bags around his hands until one hand was free and the other was overburdened. "Damn, these are heavy all together," he mumbled as he adjusted his balance with so much extra weight on one side of his body and tried to open the door. When it still didn't budge, he sighed.

"It's locked," Ren commented.

"Yeah, I figured that much out." Trying not to roll his eyes at his allmate's obvious observations, Aoba tried to lean some of his bags against the door to take a little weight off of his arm while he fished his keys out of his pocket. He had just pulled the key ring free when the door unexpectedly unlocked from the other side and slid open.

"Thank you so much, Miss Tae," a woman said from just inside the doorway only to let out a short scream the next second when a man and several pounds worth of groceries came toppling down on top of her.

"Oww…" Aoba hissed before realizing that he'd knocked someone else down when the loss of support for his heavy bags had caused him to fall over. Quickly getting to his knees and clearing the spilled groceries off to the side, he looked at who he'd fallen on and asked, "Are you okay?"

Kagome tried to push herself up into a sitting position only to fall back again when her wrist throbbed and gave way under her. She'd just had it wrapped for a mild sprain, but she suspected that after breaking her fall, it wasn't so mild anymore. "I'm not sure," she answered honestly before they were interrupted.

"What was that noise?" Tae demanded as she stepped into the entryway and saw Kagome and Aoba in the floor with the groceries she'd sent her grandson for. After staring at the scene for a moment, she closed her eyes, took a breath, held it for several seconds, and let it out. Despite not yelling, she was still frowning when she said, "Aoba, salvage what you can of the groceries. Kagome, back to the kitchen."

Neither said a word to argue with the older woman, but Aoba tried to help Kagome back to her feet as she cradled her injured wrist and followed Tae back down the hall. It was only when his grandmother turned to give him a stern look and cleared her throat that Aoba snapped back to himself and knelt down to do as she'd told him. He made short work of sorting the groceries and finally got them to the kitchen, all of the damaged goods tied up in one bag.

"Put the bags on the counter," Tae instructed as she stood from her seat where she'd been inspecting Kagome's re-injured wrist. "You get an ice pack and help her get that swelling under control. I'll see what I can make for dinner with what's salvageable."

Aoba wrapped a bag of frozen vegetables in a hand towel before sitting at the kitchen table. "I'm Aoba, her grandson," he introduced as he nodded towards Tae and held his hand out for Kagome's injured hand. "Sorry about earlier."

"Kagome," she returned as she gingerly extended her arm and winced when the cold made contact with her skin. "And it's okay. It's not like you meant to do it."

Aoba tried to keep his focus on keeping the frozen vegetables pressed to Kagome's hand and wrist so that he wasn't staring at her face. They were sitting fairly close together for two people who'd just met, and it was hard not to notice just how cute she was.

"Kagome," Tae spoke from the other side of the kitchen, causing the two at the table to sit up a little straighter. "You'll stay for dinner so that I can mix you something for the swelling that wrist is going to give you. Aoba will walk you home after that."

"Oh, no," Kagome tried to protest. "He really doesn't have to, my place isn't far."

"I don't mind," Aoba cut in before Tae could put her foot down on the matter. Glancing back at Kagome, he smiled in reassurance that it was fine by him. Because, really, the prospect of walking a cute girl home and maybe getting to know her a little better outside of crashes and injuries didn't bother him at all.


	16. Obi (Snow White with the Red Hair)

Series: Inuyasha/Snow White with the Red Hair  
Pairing: Kagome/Obi

* * *

It was a clear day and sun was filtering through the treetops as Obi cut through the forest on his way back to the palace. It had been a couple of days since Zen had sent him out on an errand, and as content as Obi had been with his previous somewhat nomadic lifestyle, he found that he really missed sleeping in his own bed. The thought that he'd been tamed pretty easily occurred to him, but with a grin Obi decided that he really didn't care. He liked his new life with the prince and his friends.

Continuing at an even pace, Obi kept his goal at getting back to the palace before the sun set. But even at his current speed, a bright flash of red and white was hard to miss in all the greenery. His curiosity getting the better of him, Obi turned around and slowly made his way towards whatever it was that had caught his attention.

Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that what he'd seen was a young woman dressed in strange red and white clothes. She looked to be sleeping in a heap near the base of a large tree, dark hair spilling across her face.

Obi quickly searched their surroundings, looking for signs of other people who might be her companions or even any possible traps. It certainly wouldn't be a new bandit trick to use a pretty young woman as bait for an ambush. But when he didn't find any signs of other people, he cautiously moved forward to crouch by the woman's side.

Reaching out one hand, he brushed some of the hair from her face and asked, "Miss?" When he didn't get much more of a reaction beyond some light stirring and a small groan, he tried again. "Miss? Are you okay?" He gently shook her shoulder a few times before she sat up with a startled gasp, causing Obi to fall backwards onto his butt.

Her eyes were wide with confusion and panic as she looked around before finally focusing in on him. Obi held his hands up, palms open and facing her so that he would show he meant no harm. "It's okay," he told her. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Blue eyes watched him for several long moments as her brow creased. She took time to look around again as her breathing slowed and she seemed to calm down some. Obi didn't move an inch until she looked back to him and he finally slowly lowered his hands so that his arms draped over his knees. He was about to try questioning her again when she caught him completely by surprise.

"Anatahadare?" She seemed to ask. When he didn't answer, she tried again, "Koko wa doko?"

Well, that was unexpected. Laughing because he honestly had no idea what to do in the situation, Obi rubbed the back of his head as he confessed, "I have no idea what you're saying." When the woman frowned and started to look nervous again, he tried a new tactic. "Obi," he said, pointing at himself. Motioning towards her, he waited to see if she would follow suit.

Slowly, she seemed to come around and patted her chest as she said, "Kagome."

"Kagome," he repeated, pointing towards her before turning his finger back at himself, "Obi." There was at least some measure of relief when Kagome nodded that she understood. He was trying to figure out what to do next since he couldn't in good conscience leave a woman alone in the forest when night was coming and she apparently didn't speak their language, but his thoughts were interrupted when he heard a small noise. Looking up, he saw Kagome's face tinting red as she covered her stomach.

Obi tried not to laugh, but instead pulled the last apple out of his supply pouch and showed it to her. Taking one of his small knives, he cut a small slice from one side and popped it in his mouth, chewing and swallowing before showing her his empty mouth. Once he'd demonstrated that it was safe to eat, he tossed the rest of the apple to Kagome, which she fumbled with but managed to catch without dropping it.

As Kagome ate, Obi wiped off his blade and tucked it back where it belonged. They watched each other and a few of the birds in the branches above them in relative silence before Kagome finished off her apple and discarded the remainder of the core for the animals and insects.

Standing in a fluid motion, Obi held out one hand for Kagome and tilted his head in a motion for her to come with him. She was obviously cautious of him, but with nowhere else to go and very likely not knowing anyone else, she eventually accepted his offer and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

They walked together through the forest at a slower pace than Obi had originally been traveling at, and he was quick to let go of his earlier goal of reaching the palace before nightfall. But on a slightly more entertaining note, the walk would give him plenty of time to try to learn a little about Kagome and imagine Zen and Mitsuhide's reactions when he brought home a strangely dressed little stray.


	17. Death the Kid (Soul Eater) II

Series: Inuyasha/Soul Eater  
Pairing: Kagome/Death the Kid (with a side of Shippou/Liz)  
Notes: Side-story to "Love On a Learning Curve"

* * *

Seated on the upstairs railing, Shippou watched the party going on beneath him. It was a small gathering of Kid's friends and loved ones so that he and Kagome could announce their engagement with the acceptance of the marriage contract.

Shippou smiled as he watched Kagome greet guests and learn new names. This had always been her element, making friends and forming new bonds, even if he could tell that she was much more nervous than the people around her realized. For him, it was all laid out and easy to read in the tension across her shoulders, in the way her hands were clasped in front of her when they weren't otherwise occupied, the way her feet constantly shifted beneath her in case she needed to run and retreat at any moment.

But she pushed through and worked the natural charm she'd had since the day he'd met her. She may have been out of practice from centuries of near-isolation under Sesshoumaru's protection, but Shippou was happy to see that all of that time away hadn't extinguished her light. She was exactly how she was always meant to be–social, energetic, and smiling.

Shippou's smile widened as he watched Kagome mingle and slowly start to relax. She spoke excitedly with Black Star's partner in their native Japanese, and Shippou was glad to see that Kagome would have someone other than himself to talk to if she ever started to feel homesick. It was something that he worried about from time to time.

He was her partner, friend, and self-proclaimed protector, and as such they'd grown extremely close through their many years together. When living with Sesshoumaru, Kagome's social circle hadn't gone much outside just the two of them, and he'd been concerned about her holding onto him too tightly as a sense of comfort and familiarity in this new place. But it didn't seem like it would be too much of an issue now.

A sound from the hall behind him caught Shippou's attention. He hadn't even noticed anyone come upstairs. One quick headcount of the party-goers revealed that there was indeed someone missing. Turning to look over his shoulder and at the hallway's bathroom door, Shippou saw the older Thompson sister step out.

"What?" She asked as he continued to watch her. Shippou only shrugged in a very much non-answer before he turned back to watch the party below. Now that he was aware of her presence, he couldn't miss the sound of her footsteps as she walked over to the railing to stand beside him and look down. "I like her," Liz finally spoke.

"Most people do," Shippou answered easily.

"Yeah, but that's not what I mean," Liz said as she thought about what she wanted to say. "I mean, like, I think Kid's dad, the previous Lord Death, was right. I think she's good for him."

Shippou glanced over at the blonde and it occurred to him for the first time that Kid's partners were probably just as worried about Kid as he was about Kagome. "Yeah," Shippou agreed. "I think he's good for her too."

It was quiet between the two of them for several long seconds before Liz hip-checked Shippou almost off of his railing seat. "Well, come on," she smirked at him as he regained his balance and shot her a look. "We all get that you're the intimidating watchdog up here, but you'd probably be doing her more good downstairs as some support, don't you think?"

Shippou didn't say a word before casually slinging his long legs back over the railing to stand at his full height. Liz nodded at him and they made their way towards the stairs together only for Shippou to hip-check her in return just before they started back down to the rest of the party.


	18. Haru (My Little Monster) II

Series: Inuyasha/My Little Monster  
Pairing: Kagome/Haru

* * *

Kagome was panting by the time she finally made it to the gaming center. Her hair was a mess from the day's breezy weather and she'd started to sweat off some of her makeup from all of her running around, but she was finally at her destination (she hoped).

The day had started with a mysterious package on her doorstep. Inside had been a picture. Just one picture. It was a little blurry, and Kagome was pretty sure there was part of a thumb in it, but it was clear enough what the subject of the picture was. Finding the note of "Follow me!" written on the back, Kagome grabbed her phone and wallet, told her mom she was heading out for a while, and hit the sidewalks.

When she got to the place in the picture, her favorite little book store, Kagome went in, hoping to find whatever she was supposed to be looking for. Surprise of surprises, Kagome could only nod when one of the store employees approached her with a smile and asked if she was Kagome. She was then handed a copy of her favorite author's new book. When she'd been assured that it was already paid for, she opened the front cover to find another picture, one a little clearer than the last but still with the darkened edge of a finger in the corner.

Again, it told her to follow.

And so the pattern continued through the afternoon. She visited a flower shop where she received a small bouquet, a bakery that gave her a cookie, a ramen shop that fed her lunch, and a park where a group of children pushed her on the swings. So by the time the final picture led her to the Misawa Game Beats Center, Kagome wasn't sure if she wanted to kiss Haru or choke him. It was a cute plan, but he'd had her running all over the city alone on her birthday. She would have much rather had him take her to all of those places himself.

Approaching the front doors, she saw a festively decorated sign posted on the glass announcing "~Close For Private Party~" and she almost laughed. Shifting around her bouquet and book and the multiple pictures in her hands, she tested the doors and was relieved that they were unlocked.

A trail of confetti and balloons directed Kagome towards the stairs that would take her to the upper floors of the building, and she told herself that she was almost at the finish line. She could handle a few flights of stairs.

At the top of the stairs, Kagome saw the door to where Haru and his cousin actually lived with the sign "Come In!" taped to the front. Knocking a few times just to be polite, Kagome slowly opened the door, not quite sure what to expect. Before she could even call out to anyone who might be home, Kagome was blinded with flashes as 'pop's came from every direction and she was covered in confetti and small streamers.

"Happy birthday!"

Looking up and blinking away the spots in her eyes, Kagome's eyes widened when she saw not only Haru and Mitsuyoshi but also all of Haru's friends and her friends gathered together.

When he came bounding up to her, brushing some of the bits of paper from her hair, Haru was quick to ask, "Were you surprised?" She didn't even have time to answer before he followed it up with "Do you like your presents? Did you find everything okay?"

Kagome was speechless for a second with everything that was happening at once, but it didn't take her long to catch up and when she did, a bright smile spread across her face. She couldn't help it. Haru looked so excited and happy and pleased with himself, and she could tell how much work he must have put into planning everything. "Yes," she answered, hugging her book and pictures and flowers to her chest. "Yes to everything. Thank you, Haru."

Haru beamed at her before swooping down to plant a sloppy kiss on her cheek. Tugging at her wrist, he pulled her further into the room as he bragged, "C'mon! You have to see your cake. I made it myself!"

Kagome's smile faltered just a little until Mitsuyoshi stepped up beside her to quietly say, "I have a cake from an actual bakery in the back in case his isn't edible."

Haru demanded to know what Mitsuyoshi had told her to make Kagome laugh so much, but she was quick to reassure him that she was just happy and told him so many more times over the course of the best surprise party she could remember anyone ever throwing for her.


	19. Sebastian (Black Butler) II

Series: Inuyasha/Black Butler  
Pairing: Kagome/Sebastian  
Prompt: Going to a masquerade

* * *

"Sebastian," Ciel said calmly to bring his butler's attention back down to him. "Go and get her if you're so jealous."

Looking down at his master with a tight smile, Sebastian said, "I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Young Master."

Ciel's visible eye nearly rolled, but settled for proving his point by instead looking towards the dancing couples as the music wound down for the next piece to be played, and said, "It looks like the Marquess is going to ask Kagome to dance again."

Sebastian couldn't stop his eyes from betraying him and flickering towards Ciel's recently acquired governess. "It's hardly a surprise," he tried to cover, though it was through nearly gritted teeth. "Miss Kagome is the focus of much attention this evening."

Ciel had to give the demon that. He'd almost thrown out the invitation to yet _another_ masquerade party, since it seemed to be all anyone wanted to throw with All Hallows' Eve quickly approaching, but Kagome had pressed him into accepting. She hadn't minced words when telling him that his dancing still left much to be desired and had argued that a party would be good practice. She hadn't been quite as adamant about it when he told her that, as his instructor, she would also be attending, but she'd eventually given in when it was clear that it was the only way he would accept.

In the end, it had worked out rather well. Kagome was too busy trying to maintain a polite decorum in fear of damaging his reputation to pay much attention to his dancing (or lack thereof). It had even provided the extra entertainment of getting to watch Sebastian glare at every man that approached her. At home, they sniped at each other at any given opportunity, but Ciel was starting to see that there might be something deeper beneath their usual pettiness and bickering.

Especially since Kagome's attire, with shining black feathers decorating everything from the black satin of her dress to the black lace of her mask and even the hairpin keeping her curls in place, seemed to be paying an homage to something…or rather, someone.


	20. Miyuki (Diamond no Ace)

Series: Inuyasha/Diamond no Ace  
Pairing: Kagome/Miyuki  
Prompt: Playing spooky pranks on people

* * *

There were certain regrets that member's of Seidou's baseball team usually shared. Not practicing that extra thirty minutes, not pushing themselves harder in their workouts, being just a second too late or too early in their swing, mentioning something they fear around Miyuki.

So when a rash of pranks started around the dorms, everyone had their suspicions, and they were pretty much pointed towards the same person.

Tanba's roommates woke up to the pitcher screaming at the long dark hair hanging from under a ceiling tile.

Several players came running out of the bathrooms, insisting they were haunted, when the steamy mirrors clearly read "get out."

Hell was raised when Kuramochi found a rubber snake peeking out from under his pillow. And everyone in the dorms could hear the yelling when he found another with his feet under the covers at the foot of his bed.

Miyuki was trying not to giggle as he tacked fake spiderwebs all around Eijun's bunk as the pitcher slept, Kagome shaking her head at him with a smile of her own while she stuck plastic spiders in the webbing.

"You know everyone thinks this is all you, right?" Kagome asked quietly so as not to wake the snoring first year from his nap.

"Of course they do," Miyuki chuckled. "I seem the type, not the sweet little manager beloved by all," he said while batting his eyes at her.

Kagome threw a spider at his face before saying, "I'm not sure about the "beloved by all" thing, but you do definitely seem the type. Which is probably why we're here."

"What can I say? I may not be into the candy, but I love Halloween. Especially the _trick_ in trick-or-treat."

"And the fact that Halloween is still weeks away?"

"A technicality."

As he sat down to finish what homework he had left, Miyuki was still laughing to himself about Eijun showing up to dinner wide-eyed, out of breath, and with some web stuck in his hair. Flicking on the lamp beside his desk, the silhouette of a large spider inside the lampshade caused Miyuki to scream and tip his chair over backwards.

After he was able to catch his breath and glare at his roommates for laughing far more than he thought was really necessary, Miyuki checked the lamp only to find one of the plastic spiders from earlier taped inside the lampshade. At first he thought it was Eijun retaliating for earlier (possibly with Kuramochi's help), but before that thought could get very far, his phone buzzed with a new text message.

 _Happy Halloween from the "sweet little manager"_


	21. Kouhei (Sweetness and Lightning)

Series: Inuyasha/Sweetness and Lightning  
Pairing: Kagome/Kouhei  
Prompt: Baking pumpkin pie/bread/etc

* * *

Kagome and Kouhei laughed as Tsumugi shrieked when she stuck her hands into the pumpkin seeds that needed to be scooped out.

Reaching her own hand in to get a handful of seeds and muck, Kagome cringed and giggled, "Why did we decide to use fresh pumpkin for this? Canned would have been easier."

"Tsumugi wants to carve the pumpkin after!" Tsumugi answered from where she stood on a chair between the adults, still wrist-deep in pumpkin guts and enjoying it more and more by the second.

"There we have it," Kouhei said with a smile as the girls pulled out more and more seeds and goo to put in a large bowl.

Kouhei wrinkled his nose a the smell as he asked, "Can we really eat these?"

"The seeds?" Kagome questioned. When Kouhei nodded, she smiled, "Sure! We have to separate them from the stringy parts and wash them off, but then we can season them and bake them and they'll be great."

Soon enough the inside of the pumpkin was cleaned out and Tsumugi was picking the seeds while Kouhei used a spoon to scoop out the inner flesh to go in the food processor.

Bit by bit, the pie filling came together, even if some of the filling ended up dabbed on Kouhei's nose, much to the amusement of his girlfriend and daughter. To her credit, Kagome always cleaned any mess she made on him, and even the cornstarch he'd managed to get on his glasses himself.

Once the pie crust they'd baked earlier was filled and back in the oven for the pie to finish up, the new little family sat down to try and carve a jack-o-lantern.

As Tsumugi, seated in Kagome's lap, drew out their pattern with a marker, Kagome looked at Kouhei and smiled. "You still have a little bit of pumpkin on your face," she laughed. "You're a mess. I didn't even put any on your cheek." Leaning over, careful not to jostle the little girl in her lap, Kagome kissed away the bit of pumpkin filling on Kouhei's cheek.

"Maybe I put it there for you to clean off for me," Kouhei suggested even as a blush rose to stain his cheeks.

"Well," Kagome said as she looked back to what Tsumugi was drawing on the pumpkin, completely ignoring the grown-ups behind her. "We're out of pie filling, but we still have the whipped cream that goes on top later. Maybe one of us will make another mess." When Kouhei began choking at Kagome's words, she laughed, and it only got worse when Tsumugi complained about Kagome moving around too much.


	22. Alucard (Hellsing)

Series: Inuyasha/Hellsing  
Pairing: Kagome/Alucard  
Prompt: Scary movie marathon

* * *

"Stop laughing!" Kagome yelled at the old vampire next to her. "You're ruining it!"

"I'll stop laughing when it ceases to be funny," Alucard said with more mirth than Kagome appreciated.

"This is _The Exorcist_! It's a classic," she pouted.

Alucard grinned down at her as he said, "I can see why."

Glaring at him for a moment, Kagome told him, "You know, that _should_ be a compliment, but it just sounds…wrong when you say it."

"How can I not laugh?" Alucard asked as he looked back to the screen. "She's projectile vomiting pea soup. Demons are capable of many things, but really, there are better ways to make a statement when scaring humans."

"I'm sure that's something you know plenty about," Kagome grumbled.

" _Plenty_ ," Alucard assured her.

She thought this would be a fun way to spend the evening. Halloween was coming up, so she'd suggested a movie marathon. She really hadn't been thinking about her company when she'd chosen the genre. So far Alucard had picked apart and laughed his way through every movie, though he had shown an odd fondness for Freddy Krueger and Pennywise the Clown. And somehow _that_ was scary and disturbing in its own way.

Stopping the movie, Kagome stood up to take the DVD out of the player. As she was searching the shelves for a new movie, Alucard asked, "What are we going to watch now?"

"Oh, don't worry," Kagome said as she found the case she'd been looking for. "I'm sure you'll _love_ this one. It's about vampires"

"We shall see," Alucard grinned, certain this would end much the same way as the last several movies they'd attempted to watch.

Kagome sat down and pressed play with a smile on her face. And within a few minutes of the movie starting, Alucard knew why Kagome seemed so pleased with herself.

Completely unamused, he demanded, "What in the unholiest level of hell is this?"

"It's called _Twilight_. I told you, it's about vampires," Kagome answered simply.

"Those are _not_ vampires."

"Why not?"

"Vampires are not _pretty_."

"Have you looked at yourself?"

"I am not _pretty_. I have been a vision of terror to my enemies for centuries."

Kagome didn't pay half as much attention to the movie as she did to the way Alucard scowled at the screen and complained about plot points for the following two hours. Somehow, she felt like she'd finally won something against the vampire.


	23. Aoba (Dramatical Murder) II

Series: Inuyasha/Dramatical Murder  
Pairing: Kagome/Aoba  
Prompt: Scary movie marathon

* * *

"Ready for our movie marathon?" Kagome asked as she turned off the living room lights and plopped down on the couch beside Aoba, bowl of popcorn in hand.

"I guess," Aoba hedged as Kagome grabbed the remote and got settle for their first movie. "I'm still just trying to figure out how you talked me into a horror movie marathon."

Kagome picked up a piece of popcorn and held it out for her boyfriend, grinning when he took it with a slight pout. "Because one, you love me. And two, it's October. If there was ever a time for this, it's now."

"Fine, just know that I would rather be watching something animated," he said as he leaned back into the couch cushions and tried to prepare himself. "What's the title of the first movie?"

" _The Lazarus Effect._ "

"Sounds super," Aoba sighed, heavy on the sarcasm.

The movie started, footage of a dead pig strapped down as the subject for an experiment on the screen. The footage was purposely dark and not clear as to what was going on outside of the shot, but the moment it jolted to life for a moment after a couple of failed attempts, Aoba was on his feet and beating a retreat from the room. "Nope! I'm out, I can't do it."

Kagome, doing her best to contain her laughter, paused the movie and set the popcorn aside. She assured Ren that his master was fine when the Allmate woke up at the sound of Aoba's shout, and soon she was following after the blue-haired scaredy cat and trying to coax him back onto the couch.

It took several minutes, the addition of caramel to the popcorn and the compromise to turn the lights back on, but Aoba eventually agreed to finish the movie with her.

In the end, the two of them ended up cuddled together with their sticky popcorn between them and Kagome's gentle fingers massaging Aoba's scalp during the scary parts. He still wanted to watch something light after this movie was over, but if this was the arrangement every time, he decided he might not be opposed to watching another scary movie with Kagome in the future.


	24. Kurama (YuYu Hakusho) II

Series: Inuyasha/YuYu Hakusho  
Pairing: Kagome/Kurama  
Prompt: Playing in leaves together/raking leaves

* * *

"There!" Kagome said with a flourish of her rake. Looking around the courtyard, she smiled. "Finally done. Thanks for helping me out today, Kurama."

"Of course," Kurama smiled at her as he raked the last of his leaves into Kagome's large pile. "I'm happy to help."

"I love the God Tree," Kagome started as she propped her rake against the nearby bench and stretched out her back. "But the number of leaves every year is murder. And it doesn't help that most of them seem to fall off at once."

Kurama moved to stand beside Kagome and dipped down to press a quick kiss to her temple. "Well, as I said, I'm happy to help. This year and every year after."

Kagome hummed happily at his words before her eyes landed on the large pile of crispy foliage they'd spent a good portion of the day gathering up. A large smile broke out across her face as she felt the urge welling up from deep within her. She'd never won against it since she was a toddler, and she really didn't see any reason to fight it and break tradition now.

There was a split moment in which Kurama saw a rather fox-like look of mischief cross Kagome's face before she turned her back to the pile they'd gathered and allowed herself to fall backwards into it, arms wide. He watched on, speechless, as she disappeared in an explosion of red and yellow and became nothing more than a pair of feet sticking out of a giggling leaf pile.

"Was that _really_ necessary?" He asked even as he chuckled along with her.

Leaves rustled and shifted as Kagome sat up and emerged, leaves sticking this way and that out of her hair. "Absolutely," she smiled up at him as she reached out a hand for him to take.

Kurama had assumed it was to pull her out of the leaves, but he quickly learned that Kagome had other ideas. Without him expecting it, it wasn't too difficult for Kagome to pull him off kilter and bring him tumbling into the leaves with her. A fresh wave of laughter rang out as they were both buried and proceeded to destroy their work with a leaf fight.

"Hey!" Souta yelled as he approached them, several large plastic bags in hand. "I thought you guys were supposed to be getting all the leaves in one place, not making a bigger mess."

Looking around them, they realized that they, along with a strong breeze, had scattered most of their work back across the paved courtyard.

"Help me rake again?" Kagome asked with a decent amount of sheepishness as she plucked a few stray leaves from Kurama's hair.

"This year and after," he reminded her with a smile and a tired sigh. "But this time we're putting them straight into the bags."


	25. Death the Kid (Soul Eater) III

Series: Inuyasha/Soul Eater  
Pairing: Kagome/Death the Kid  
Prompt: Drinking apple cider and cuddling on a chilly night  
Notes: Side-story to "Love On a Learning Curve"

* * *

The night was clear and cold, dropping down to nearly freezing, as Kagome sat wrapped in a thick blanket on the back patio of Gallows Mansion. She smiled as she exhaled in heavy breaths and watched her breath puff and billow out in front of her.

"Having fun?" Kid asked as he came up from behind her and rounded the the padded patio swing to stand in front of Kagome, a steaming mug in each hand.

"What can I say?" Kagome asked as she shifted and lifted one side of her blanket. "I know how to entertain myself."

Kid carefully sat down so that their drinks wouldn't spill as the swing shifted under him. Kagome tucked the blanket across Kid's lap as he continued holding their mugs up and out of the way until she was finished. Once all the tugging and tucking was done and Kagome was pressed up against his side to ward off the cold for both of them, Kid handed Kagome her cider and watched her take the first sip. When she hummed in warm satisfaction, he smiled and took a drink himself.

Gently rocking the swing on his own since Kagome's feet were tucked up under her and the warmth of the blanket they sat in comfortable silence for several minutes, watching the few stars that manged to shine through the glow of the city lights.

"It still surprises me just how cold the desert gets at night," Kagome finally spoke quietly.

"Do you not like it?" Kid asked concerned. "We can go inside if you want."

Kagome shook her head and pressed tighter against Kid's side. "I'm fine. The cold is nice in its own way. It leads to moments like this."

Kid quietly sipped at his still steamy cider in quiet happiness. He'd questioned it in the beginning, but he really was happy. Their relationship hadn't exactly been storybook or whirlwind, but they'd gotten there on their own despite any unusual circumstances. And Kid could honestly say that he was as comfortable around Kagome as he was any of his friends, probably more so in some ways.

"So," Kagome interrupted his thoughts without looking away from the stars. "Whose turn is it to tell a story?

Humming as he thought back, Kid answered, "I'm pretty sure it's your turn."

"Okay then, let's see," Kagome tried to think of what stories from her past she'd already shared with her husband. "So this one time there was a clan of bat demons…"


	26. Rin (Blue Exorcist)

Series: Inuyasha/Blue Exorcist  
Pairing: Kagome/Rin  
Prompt: I'm, like, 85% sure my neighbor/roommate is a supernatural creature, even though they technically shouldn't exist.

* * *

 _Overflow housing_ they'd called it. The traditional student dorms were full upon Kagome's enrollment in True Cross Academy, so after much discussion, a few meetings between her and her dorm-mates, and some forms signed by her mother, she'd been moved to the old male dormitory.

She was fine with the arrangement, mostly. Yukio and Rin were nice enough, including her in their meals and even some homework and study sessions. She had a room and bath to herself. With the exception for Rin's more rambunctious moods, it was relatively quiet and peaceful. But something still felt _off_.

She'd received a letter just before classes started from the school's principal stating that she would be eligible for "special electives" if a time came when she was proven to "make use" of her "talents and potential."

True Cross Academy was an excellent school with a long and prestigious reputation. It seemed normal on the surface, but there were still parts that made Kagome's skin crawl. She'd never seen or come across actual proof of demons unrelated to the jewel in her era, but this school (and, more specifically, one of her dorm-mates) was the closest she'd felt to it.

It wasn't constant or even consistent, but Kagome _swore_ she could feel pulses of power from Rin and Yukio's room some nights, especially when she could hear them arguing. There were glowing blue lights, strange noises, and heat waves that seemed to flow through the building at odd times.

She didn't know for sure and she certainly didn't want to ask without proof, but Kagome was beginning to have her suspicions.

There was a _chance_ that maybe, _just possibly_ , Rin Okumura wasn't human. Or at least not _entirely_ human.

She didn't want to actively snoop around and investigate for concrete proof just in case she was imagining things or seeing things that just weren't there, but she was always on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary in the dorm. That's why, after weeks of nothing conclusive and the creeping doubt that maybe she was wrong, Kagome was surprised to stumble directly into what she'd been looking for.

It was late at night, but she was still awake studying for a test when a series of crashes were heard coming from the kitchen. She waited a few minutes, hoping that whatever one or both of the twins were doing was finished, before more banging around was heard.

With a sigh, she stood from her desk and made her way downstairs. Watching her feet as she made her way down the last few steps to the dining room, she called out, "Guys, it's really late, so could you maybe do this in the morn–"

Looking up, Kagome paused to see three figures through the window to the kitchen. There was Yukio, staring at her in panicked horror. There was Rin, holding a small bottle of spice above his head and out of reach. And then there was a small imp-like demon hanging from Rin's arm like a monkey, grasping for the bottle Rin was holding. Everything was quiet and still, frozen as the trio stared at her and she stared back.

And then there was motion. The nervous flick of a black tail from under Rin's shirt.

Kagome's eyes grew wide and she could see Yukio getting ready to try and explain everything away (which she would have liked to hear what he came up with at any other time), but she beat him to the punch by pointing at Rin and gleefully crying, "I _knew_ it!" When both brothers and the imp seemed baffled by her reaction, her smile practically beamed as she told them, "We should probably have a talk."


	27. Hei (Darker Than Black)

Series: Inuyasha/Darker Than Black  
Pairing: Kagome/Hei  
Prompt: Every year, on Halloween, I dream of someone I've never actually met.

* * *

He was in South America again, looking out over a familiar lake that perfectly reflected the false stars in the sky. Or, it would have been the lake he knew if it weren't for the large tree that seemed to be growing out of the middle of the water. Then, from the shadowed bark, a small point of shining light appeared before it started to grow. It was soft and warm, and Hei could feel it pulling at something in his chest.

Following the tug, Hei stepped from the grassy bank and found the water to be as solid and smooth as glass. He walked across the flat surface with cautious steps, afraid it could crack and crumble under him at any moment.

As he got closer to the tree, the light softened to a glow and Hei could see a woman in the center of it smiling at him. _"_ _Hei,"_ she greeted as she reached out to touch his cheek.

The skin contact brought Hei to his knees in front of her. Pressing his face further into her touch, he shuddered when her other hand came up to cup his face. Her touch. Her light. It was like warmth and calm were flooding into him from her palms to fill his hollow body. He couldn't remember the last time that he'd felt such a feeling of peace, and he reached up to hold onto her wrists with trembling hands, unwilling and a little afraid to return to the cold world away from her.

 _"_ _Hei,"_ she said his name again, prompting him to open his eyes and look at her. Beyond her, beyond the ancient tree, he could see the first touches of sunrise at the horizon and gripped her wrists tighter, instinctively knowing what it would mean. The woman leaned down to press her forehead to his and quietly told him, _"_ _Look for Sunset."  
_  
Jolting awake with a gasp, Hei's first thought was about how cold he felt. Checking his phone, he saw that it was just after 3:00am on October 31st.

"Every year," he muttered to himself before lying back and rubbing his eyes. "You're not supposed to have dreams…"

Much later in the day, at a more decent hour, Hei thought to mention his annual dream to Mao.

"I won't deny it's strange," the cat agreed with a long stretch. "Have you ever tried looking for it?"

"For what?" Hei asked. "Sunset? I don't need to I know exactly where it'll be every day. I can even look up the exact times."

"Mmm, but she didn't say _the_ sunset or _a_ sunset, right? Just sunset. Maybe it's a name," Mao suggested. "Like that shrine across town. A dog chased me up the big old tree on the grounds. I'm pretty sure its name was Sunset."

Hei didn't answer but gave it thought. He gave it so much thought that by the end of the day, he'd made his way across town and halfway up a large set of stairs.

Being Halloween, children in costume were running around and laughing, but he largely ignored them until he was at the top. More children were crowded around one woman who was handing out candy and saying how scary or cute the kids were.

Looking around, Hei was surprised to see the tree from his dream. It was partially bare of its leaves, but it was unmistakable in its presence. Moving to stand in front of it, he could almost feel the warmth from his dream.

"Can I help you?" A happy voice asked from behind him.

Hei's eyes widened before he even turned around. He _knew_ that voice. When he laid eyes on her, the fuzzy features that he'd always had trouble remembering snapped into crystal clarity before him. She was exactly as he'd always seen her, only without the halo of light. Quickly slipping into his default persona for dealing with people, his voice went soft as he said, "Oh, no, I'm fine. A friend told me about your shrine, and I was just admiring your tree."

"Too bad you're seeing it now," she laughed. "You should see it in the spring when it's in full bloom."

"I'll be sure to come back then," Hei smiled. When he noticed her looking at him oddly, he added a twinge of nervousness to his voice as he asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Oh! No, I'm sorry," she quickly apologized before dropping some candy into the bags of a few lingering children. "It's just…have we met before? You seem really familiar."

The anxiety creeping into Hei's voice didn't need to be faked as he said, "I don't think so. I'm usually pretty good with faces." Extending a hand towards her, he tried to introduce himself, "My name is Li–"

"Hei, right?" When he could only blink at her in shock, persona completely forgotten for the moment, she continued, "I swear we've met before. I'm Kagome, Kagome Higurashi. Does that ring any bells for you?"

"Uh…yeah, I think so," Hei lied. It was obvious to him now. This was much more than just a dream he had once a year. As Kagome lit up at his recognition and started chatting with him trying to figure out where they'd met, Hei's mind could only latch onto one question. _'_ _Who is this woman?'_


	28. Dazai (Bungo Stray Dogs)

Series: Inuyasha/Bungo Stray Dogs  
Pairing: Kagome/Dazai  
Prompt: Halloween night always brings out the crazies.

* * *

Dazai took a deep breath, smiling against the chilly wind brushing his face and ignoring the looks of the people walking on the bridge behind him. Standing balanced on the railing, he looked out at the perfect scene before him; Halloween night, full moon in the sky above him and a frigid river a good and dangerous distance below him.

He couldn't have planned better circumstances. A beautiful way to die.

* * *

Jogging home and sidestepping the many kids that were still crowded on the sidewalks, Kagome held tight to the small convenience store bag in her hand. How had Halloween slipped up on her? She hadn't realized that it was already the end of October until hopeful children were knocking on her door for candy. She'd felt so bad at their disappointed little faces that she swore she'd have some candy if they came back a little later.

And thus started her mad dash to the closest convenience story to scavenge for whatever candy she could find left on the shelves.

She turned off of the main street to cross the bridge that led to her neighborhood when she saw a small gathering of people blocking the sidewalk. Excusing herself as she tried to politely make her way through the crowd, Kagome picked up whispering here and there.

"What is he doing?"

"The guy is obviously crazy, don't get too close."

"Shouldn't we call someone? Does anyone have a phone?"

"Keep the kids back."

Finally breaking through to see what everyone was so focused on, Kagome was shocked to see a man precariously balanced on the bridge railing. But as soon as she saw him start to tip forward, her body reacted without thought.

Her bag of candy forgotten, she allowed it to fall to the ground as she ran forward as fast as she could. The man's feet had already slipped from the rail, but Kagome was just barely able to grab hold of his hand. Unfortunately, he was a good deal bigger than she was and the momentum of his fall pulled her over the railing with him.

Dazai looked up in shock as a small woman grabbed his hand and went off the bridge with him. She was able to keep a grip on the bridge for a few seconds, but once the weight of both of their bodies hit her, there was a loud _pop_ and her hand slipped from the bridge as she cried out.

Yes, he ideally would have liked to commit suicide with a beautiful woman, but not like this. He hadn't meant to pull anyone else into this with him, figuratively or literally. So, making a quick decision, Dazai pulled the woman close to his chest and braced for impact with the water, ready to take the brunt of it.

The cold aside, hitting the water hurt like hell and knocked some of the air from him. He was sure he would have some impressive bruises on his back later. But for the moment, he focused on trying to get back to the surface with the woman in his arms. It was difficult to swim with his clothes on, but he managed and was relieved to hear the woman gasp for breath when he did.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he tried to keep them afloat. "Can you swim?"

Kagome tried to move so that she could tread water on her own but gasped when pain shot down her arm. "M-m-my arm," she stuttered as she shook her head, the cold of the water starting to seep into her.

Looking for which bank was the closest, Dazai carefully wrapped an arm around Kagome and pulled her to safety. It was only once they were safely on dry land again that he heard people shouting from the bridge, one very familiar voice in particular.

Dazai was trying to look the woman over as his partner approached them. He ignored his scolding when he discovered that his would-be savior's shoulder was dislocated. "Kunikida-kun," Dazai said gentle but serious for the woman's sake. "It's cold tonight. Do you have a coat? She needs to warm up."

Kunikida took a moment to look over the situation before tossing Dazai his coat with a look that promised they would talk about this later.

"What's your name miss?" Dazai asked with a polite smile as he draped the dry coat around the woman's shoulders.

"K-Kagome Higurashi," Kagome answered as a shiver ran through her. "A-are you o-okay?"

Dazai stared, a little stunned, at the woman on the ground in front of him. She was soaked and freezing and injured, but she wanted to know if he was okay. "I'm fine," he assured her with a gentle pat on the shoulder, and he could feel his priorities start to shift a little.

He'd always wanted to commit suicide with a beautiful woman, but somehow he felt that allowing this one to die would be a crime.


	29. Alucard (Hellsing) II

Series: Inuyasha/Hellsing  
Pairing: Kagome/Alucard  
Prompt: Creepy courtships

* * *

As soon as her alarm went off and she began to wake up, Kagome knew that something wasn't quite right. But when she tried to stretch out a knot in her back, she realized exactly what it was.

Deep in the manor's lower basement, Alucard knew the moment Kagome was awake from the way her power pulsed angrily through the halls. Humming in pleasure and just a bit of amusement, he decided to casually make his way upstairs to wish his eventual (he was sure) bride-to-be a good morning.

"Alucard!" Integra could hear Kagome's voice echoing through the manor well before the younger woman made it to the dining room and could only imagine what the old vampire had done this time. She had to admit that things might be getting out of hand at this point.

Even with Alucard taking a much deeper interest in Kagome than any of them had ever imagined, it had come as a shock when he'd announced his intentions of courtship and eventual marriage to the Japanese priestess. At first they'd thought that it was a joke, but that had been put to rest fairly early. The protective and near possessive behavior over what he saw as "his" had only been the beginning.

Kagome constantly ranted in Integra's office about the courtship "gifts" that she'd received. It had been entertaining when it started with flowers, because everyone thought the idea of Alucard choosing a bouquet was _interesting_ to say the least. But it had quickly escalated to an incident involving spiders in Kagome's clothes (Alucard's twisted version of a Romanian wedding good luck omen) and even the gifting of a literal heart. After she explained that it's actually the brain that's responsible for the feeling of love, it had taken a lot of threatening on Kagome's part that she was _not_ waking up to anymore organs on her nightstand.

Integra could hear Kagome's hurried footsteps coming from the hall and tried to prep herself for whatever was about to happen.

"Alucard!" Kagome yelled again as she marched into the dining room. "Come out here right now!"

"Kagome," Integra sighed as she rubbed her one good eye, "regardless of what he's done this time, I ask that you lower your to–oh my heavens."

"Yeah. I know," Kagome ground out as Integra openly stared at her. She'd woken up dressed in a full antique wedding dress of silk, lace, and embroidery. Her face was pale with foundation and perfectly applied makeup while a delicate golden crown sat atop her immaculately curled hair.

"Ah, good morning, my darling," Alucard greeted as he swept into the room. Kagome was nearly shaking in her anger as he reached out to touch one perfect curl only for his fingers to be singed on contact. "Oh my," he chuckled darkly. "Did you not sleep well?"

"I slept _fine_ ," Kagome bit out. "And I have a sneaking suspicion that you had a hand in it." Glaring up at his all-too-smug face, Kagome gestured to her entire being as she asked, "What is all of this?!"

"A wedding gown," Alucard answered simply. "It's from the old country. I thought perhaps if you saw what a beautiful bride you'll be, you would stop fighting me so stubbornly. Since you've yet to remove it, could it be that I was correct?"

The air around Kagome was practically sparking as she said, "I can't reach the laces in the back."

"What a shame," Alucard grinned.

Sighing, Integra stood and moved to help Kagome free herself of the gown's bodice. "I must say, Alucard," she observed as she began to steadily loosen the laces keeping things in place. "I knew you had a great many talents, but I didn't take cosmetics as one of them."

Humming, Alucard admitted, "I may have had some help."

Kagome's gaze immediately cut over to where Seras was doing a very pointed job of ignoring all of them and their conversation.

It appeared that _two_ vampires would be getting some form of payback very soon.


	30. Jin (YuYu Hakusho)

Series: Inuyasha/YuYu Hakusho  
Pairing: Kagome/Jin  
Prompt: So, not to sound paranoid or anything, but I think I'm being stalked by a supernatural creature? Is there someone I can call for this?

* * *

Keiko walked up to one of the university cafeteria's tables where she spotted the friend she was supposed to be meeting for lunch. When Kagome didn't lift her head from the table, Keiko allowed her books to drop on the table with a loud _smack_ causing Kagome to finally sit up with a gasp.

"Keiko," Kagome breathed as her heart raced. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Are you trying to get your bag stolen?" Keiko asked as she sat down across from Kagome. "You can't just take a nap in public like that."

Kagome sighed before pushing some of her hair out of her face. "I didn't mean to fall asleep," she defended, rubbing her eyes. "I'm just really tired."

Looking her friend over, Keiko had to admit that Kagome did look more run down than usual. "What's up? Anything you want to talk about?"

Kagome stared at Keiko for a long moment before finally giving in. This obviously wasn't going away on its own. Leaning in close, Kagome spoke lowly so as to not be overheard, "I think I'm being followed."

Alarmed, Keiko quickly moved to the chair beside Kagome and asked, "Have you gone to the police yet?"

Shaking her head, Kagome bit her lip as she thought about what to say next. "I don't…think the police would be able to help me much." At Keiko's concerned look, she mumbled, "You're going to think I'm crazy." Taking a steadying breath she finally said, "I don't think the person following me is…human."

Keiko's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to ask what Kagome meant when the other girl continued unprompted.

"I went to visit some…old friends over our last break," Kagome explained, trying to skirt around outright telling her very human friend that she'd taken a trip over into a demon realm for a few days. "And whoever, _what_ ever, this is followed me back. I can sense it following me around, but that's not even the worst of it!" Kagome yelled before quickly lowering her voice again. "Things have been getting _weird_ lately."

"Weird how?"

"There's…the wind."

"The wind?" Keiko asked a little skeptically. "Kagome, you look really tired. Are you sure you aren't dreaming or just imagining things?"

Kagome was about to explain but opted for an example instead. "C'mon," she said as she stood, gathered up her bag, and tugged on Keiko's wrist. "I'll show you what I mean."

Once they were outside in the courtyard, which was thankfully sparsely populated with the onset of the cooler weather, Kagome looked around and waited for what she was positive would happen. It only took a minute before a small whirlwind worked its way up from the ground around her, stirring up a few autumn leaves, and completely surrounded her. Quickly pushing her hands down to keep her skirt in place, Kagome closed her eyes and held her breath as she waited for it to pass.

When the wind eventually died down, Kagome could feel her hair fall back into her face and around her shoulders. "See?" She said with a huff as she tried to push her hair back. When she noticed that Keiko had a hand over her mouth trying not to laugh, Kagome asked, "What?"

Stepping closer, Keiko pulled a small comb out of her bag as she handed it to Kagome as she said, "It looks…" Pausing to lower her voice to a whisper between them, she continued, "It looks like you have sex hair."

Kagome took the comb and quickly began to get her hair under control again. "I don't know how much more of this I can take. It's not funny Keiko! What am I supposed to do? I don't know exactly where this thing is and it's not like I can just _call someone_ about it."

Smiling as Kagome flipped her long hair over to try and brush it out, Keiko offered, "I think I actually know someone who might be able to help you."

On their next day off, Keiko picked up Kagome early in the morning and the two of them headed to the train station. They eventually arrived out in the country where Genkai's compound resided and a few others waited for them.

It was the first time Kagome was meeting Keiko's long-time boyfriend, but she could see how in love they were. It was sweet, she thought.

"Something's following you, huh?" Yusuke asked as he focused on their surroundings, looking for someone who didn't belong.

"Yeah," Kagome sighed. "They aren't really doing anything to _hurt_ me, but all the wind is getting to be a bit much."

"Wind?" Yusuke asked in surprise, instantly having a face come to mind. With an idea of what he was looking for now, he laughed loudly as he called into the trees, "Jin, get your ass out here!"

Things were quiet for a few seconds before a strong breeze kicked up around them and a red-haired demon with long pointed ears and a small horn floated down to the ground. "Af'ernoon, Urameshi. How've ya been?"

"Not stalking human girls," Yusuke answered giving his friend a look.

"Oi! I wasn't stalkin' 'er!" Jin objected as he turned his attention to Kagome. Sending her a charming smile, he said, "I saw the pretty li'l lass o'er in demon world an' I got curious. Followed 'er back an' now I gotta say…I think I right fancy 'er now." Elbowing Yusuke playfully, he added, "Don't let 'er looks fool ya. That one's got some uppity-up friends 'cross the border."

Focus suddenly fell to Kagome, but before she could try to explain anything, Jin was in front of her, bowed down so they were at eye level as he took her hand in his and introduced, "Nice to finally meet ya, darlin'. Name's Jin."

"Kagome," she returned as she fought a blush when he laid a peck on the back of her hand with a flirty wink.

"Ya don't mind me tailin' after ya a bit from time to time, do ya, darlin'?" Jin asked with another one of those damned charming grins.

Trying to ignore how much she actually liked being called "darlin'" in Jin's accent, Kagome took her hand back and tried to bite back a smile as she told him, "How about you promise to stop blowing up my skirt, and we'll go from there."


	31. Genos (One Punch Man) II

Series: Inuyasha/One Punch Man  
Pairing: Kagome/Genos  
Prompt: Yandere!Genos

* * *

Fingernails tapping against the glass of the window, Kagome watched the pedestrians and cars on the street below and the clouds in the sky. From her place in the nice but empty apartment, it seemed like the world was passing right by her.

When the sound of the first lock being turned reached her, she was on her feet in an instant. By the time three more locks tumbled over, she was tugging open the front door herself. "Genos," she breathed out in equal parts anxiety and relief.

"Kagome," Genos smiled down at her as he gently pushed his way inside and shut the door behind him.

Kagome's heart sank a little with each deadbolt he locked back in place before the keys he never let go of slipped back into his pocket. He continued towards the kitchen with his few bags of groceries, as normal as always, as he asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Kagome answered automatically, still trying to tear her eyes away from the reinforced door that kept her sealed away from the rest of the world. Finally, she turned to follow the cyborg into their kitchen and watch him put away the food he'd bought. All of it was healthy, most of it organic, and it would no doubt be used to make balanced and nutritious meals.

Genos always made sure that she was well cared for and all of her needs were met. He'd found an apartment and modified it against attacks and break-ins himself. He bought all of their food after thoroughly researching the sources. The apartment had large windows and a balcony to allow plenty of sunlight. He'd even provided exercise equipment. She should have wanted for nothing.

But still…she did.

Once the last of the vegetables were placed in the appropriate refrigerator drawer, Kagome took a breath and put on a happy smile as she approached Genos and asked, "Hey, I was thinking, do you think we could go outside for a while today?"

Kagome held her breath as Genos' eyes visibly focused on her before his face fell into an easy grin and he said, "That sounds like an excellent idea. Fresh air would be good for you."

There was only a moment of relief before Genos took her hand and led her deeper into the apartment to the balcony doors. When he paused to unlock the glass door which he also kept under tight lock and key, Kagome spoke up again, trying not to let her voice shake as her nerves spiked, "Actually, Genos, I was hoping we could go for a walk since the leaves are changing colors. You know…outside, with other people."

Flinching as the key was quickly pulled from the sliding door's lock without ever turning, Kagome kept her eyes focused firmly on Genos' chest as he turned to face her.

"Kagome," he said as he stepped closer and ran cool metal fingers into her hair. When she didn't move to look at him or respond, he continued, "You know why we can't do that. It's dangerous."

Kagome looked up at that, argument at the ready after having repeated it so many times already. "That was so long ago, Genos! It was just an accident. I wasn't even hurt that bad, and I've been better for a long time now. Please… _please_ let me go outside again."

The hand in her hair tightened just enough to tug uncomfortably, and the knot forming in Kagome's stomach tightened as the yellow of Genos' eyes started to glow. "There are too many variables outside. I might not be able to protect you from all of them. You have to _let me protect you_."

Kagome loved Genos. She really did. But _this_ Genos, the one with the cold glowing eyes that only saw the data and facts, scared her.

"It's not your job to protect me from everything," she told him in a voice that had already shrank considerably. Leaning her forehead against his solid chest, she slowly slipped a hand into his free hand that wasn't combing through her hair.

"But it is, Kagome," he corrected as he tipped his head down to kiss the top of her head. "It is."

When Kagome's fingertips touched along the jagged edge of the key still in Genos' hand, she acted before thought could take over and snatched the key away. Stumbling back, she sprinted for the front door. Her shaking hand was barely able to slip the key into the first lock before a large hand slammed into the door, keeping it firmly shut and making a sizable dent.

His voice was even and steady, which maybe even added to the creeping fear in Kagome's chest, as Genos held out his hand and said, "Give me the key."

Kagome shook her head and pulled the key from the lock to hold it tightly against her chest. When she didn't immediately hand it over, Genos gently but firmly pried her fist open and took it from her. "Look," he admonished. "You held it so tightly that the metal cut into your hand. Come with me"

Leading her by her uninjured hand, much like a toddler, Genos sat Kagome down in the bathroom and proceeded to clean and dress her hand. "Even here, I can't protect you from everything. This is why I cannot let you go outside. Do you understand?"

Kagome didn't answer or look at him, even after he was finished and led her into the bedroom. "You should rest," he told her as he tucked her in with a warmth that belied the coldness he was capable of. "I'll start dinner and we can eat on the balcony tonight. Wouldn't that be nice?" Kissing her forehead and stroking back the hair at her temple, Genos turned out the lights before he shut (and locked) the bedroom door behind him.

Lying in bed, Kagome watched the clouds pass by outside the window.


	32. Lance (Voltron: Legendary Defender)

Series: Inuyasha/Voltron: Legendary Defender  
Pairing: Kagome/Lance  
Prompt: Skeleton/bones

* * *

"C'mon!" Lance ordered as he pulled the girl from her cell and ran.

He was supposed to be on a diplomatic mission with the rest of the team, but something about their hosts had felt _off_ from the beginning. It was the way they smiled a little too wide and stared just a little too long. So when he'd excused himself for a bathroom break, Lance had taken the opportunity to do a little snooping.

He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting to find, maybe something that pointed towards involvement with the Galra, but he ended up getting much more than he bargained for after a few "wrong turns" and unlocked doors. His search paused after cracking open one door and being hit full force by the smell of metal. It immediately reminded him of the change jar his grandmother kept and would have him sort every so often. But there was something beneath the coppery smell, something musty and rank.

Checking the hallway to make sure no one was watching him, he slipped through the doorway and quietly closed the door behind him. The lights overhead were dim but provided enough light so that he wouldn't trip on anything.

A few steps into the short hallway and Lance realized that the walls were lined with barred doors, but the cells seemed to be empty. Stopping at one, he tried to get a closer look at what was caked on the walls, but it was so dark he couldn't quite tell. He hesitated before reaching out a hand to touch of rough patch of whatever it was only for it to flake and peel away under his touch. It was definitely where the smell was coming from, and Lance was trying very hard not to think of how so much blood came to dry on the walls and floor.

Being so distracted with his bubbling internal panic, Lance had to muffle a scream when a hand suddenly wrapped around his wrist. He looked up at the cell next to the one he'd been looking at and saw a very shocked, very _human_ face staring back at him.

"Oh god," a quiet feminine voice, rough with disuse, spoke. "You're…you're human, aren't you? Earth? Milky Way?"

Lance was too shocked to answer at first. He'd gotten to the point of never really expecting to see another human aside from his teammates again. So seeing a human girl, dirty and terrified and _captive_ , completely threw him off. "You're…human. How did you-?!…How did you get here?" He asked, having to stop himself from yelling and get his voice back under control.

"I was _abducted_ by _aliens_ ," she whispered in a panic. "They sold me and I got thrown in here. I have no idea where I am or how long I've been here, but there used to be others and now there's _not_ and I'm _scared_ and–"

"Hey, hey, calm down, I've got this," Lance tried to reassure her as he pulled her hand from his wrist. "I'm gonna get you out of here." Taking his bayard from his hip and activating it, he told her, "Stand away from the door."

Once he thought she was far away, he fired at what looked to be the lock on the cell door. It was destroyed easily enough, but Lance had to bite his lip to keep from swearing as the hall lights brightened and an alarm sounded in the distance.

Lance had them back to the main hallway and on the run within seconds. He wasn't sure if the rest of the Paladins could hear the alarm or if they would connect it with him being gone for so long, but he really hoped so. Stopping short when he heard footsteps and yelling from around the next corner, Lance looked around and quickly pulled them into the closest room.

The room was quiet as Lance leaned against the door to listen to what was going on outside until he felt the girl move away from him and heard her whisper, "What _is_ this?"

Finally bringing his attention to the rest of the room, Lance felt a chill run through his body. Skulls and bones lined the walls, like trophies and decoration. Bones of varying shapes, sizes, and origins were scattered around the room across tables and shelves and even the floor.

"Those," the girl pointed towards one table on the far side of the room. "Those aren't…?"

Looking at what she was talking about, Lance instantly pulled her back towards him and turned her to face him. "Don't look," he told her. Pressing his back against the door again, he pulled the girl closer to his chest to help her block out the sight of what appeared to be human remains across the room. Usual flirtatious thoughts a million light-years away, he rubbed her back as he asked, "So what's your name?"

"Kagome," she mumbled quietly against his Paladin uniform, face buried against the armor to forget what surrounded them.

"I'm Lance," he tried to make his voice sound more upbeat than he felt. "We're gonna get out of here, Kagome," he told her with confidence. "My friends, my team, they're here and they're probably already looking for me. We aren't alone. We're going to be okay," he reassured her again, trying not to let horror creep in as he noticed just how many human skulls were on the walls among all the alien ones.


	33. Miyuki (Diamond no Ace) II

Series: Inuyasha/Diamond no Ace  
Pairing: Kagome/Miyuki  
Prompt: Moonlight stroll/lost in the woods

* * *

"So," Kagome drawled as she glanced up at Miyuki. They were walking hand-in-hand through the trees, only the light of Kagome's flashlight to keep them from tripping over roots and underbrush. It was _almost_ romantic (which is what Kagome was sure Miyuki had been aiming for), but it was falling a little short given their situation.

" _Don't_ ," he warned in a tired voice.

"We're lost."

"We aren't lost!" Miyuki insisted for what was probably the fifth time since they'd tried to head home from their midnight stroll. "The trail has to be around here somewhere. We barely stepped off of it!"

"Well, we "barely stepped off of it" about an hour ago," Kagome pointed out as he tugged her around a tree she was pretty sure they'd already passed. But then again, it was too dark to really be sure.

Stopping, Miyuki sighed and looked around for a good spot before sitting down at the base of a tree. "C'mon," he said with a gentle tug on Kagome's wrist. "We've been walking around for a while. Let's take a rest and then we'll try to find our way back to civilization."

"You're such a city boy," Kagome laughed as Miyuki patted his lap in offer and she took it. "We're in the woods behind the shrine, in the middle of Tokyo. We'll make it back to "civilization" eventually."

Miyuki ran his hands up and down Kagome's arms once she was settled and realized just how cold she'd gotten. She hadn't said anything, of course, but he kicked himself a little for not thinking of it sooner. Shifting around, and forcing Kagome to lean forward a little, he worked his way out of his jacket as he said, "Yeah, well we all didn't take a year to go live in the mountains or _whatever_ it was you did in middle school."

"I was sick," Kagome firmly stuck to her old lie.

" _Sure_ you were," Miyuki rolled his eyes. "That was an impressive rebound your immune system had when you started high school then." He wrapped his jacket tight around Kagome like a blanket as he tried to warm her up a little. After a few quiet moments, he softly said, "You know, you can tell me what happened. Where you went. What you did. No judgement."

"I know," Kagome sighed as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Maybe one day.

After a few minutes, Kagome caught herself starting to nod off and knew that they needed to get moving again. The nights were getting cold and both of them would be running the risk of getting sick if they spent the night outside. Wiggling out of Miyuki's hold, she stood and stretched as he moved to stand and brush the dirt and leaves from his pants.

Kagome looked around trying to get her bearings when something caught her eye. "Hey, do you see that?" She asked, pointing behind the tree they'd been sitting under. "It's light!"

"Oh thank god," Miyuki sighed. "We can finally get back to concrete and florescent lights."

Laughing as they took each other's hand again, Kagome reminded him, "This little walk was _your_ idea."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he denied, and Kagome rolled her eyes before they broke through the treeline to see their light source. "A lake…" Miyuki said. "It was the moon reflecting off the lake. We're going to die out here."

Kagome smacked Miyuki's chest as she said, "Be a little _more_ dramatic. We're _not_ gonna die. I know this lake." Shining her flashlight around to figure out which side of the lake they were on, she smile and told him, "Look. There's a trail opening on the other side. That trail leads straight back to the shrine. It's not even a long walk."

"Great!" Miyuki's voice echoed across the lake. "Let's get going then."

As they made their way around the lake's edge, Kagome said, "One day I'm going to actually take you camping."

"Is it okay if I send Sawamura in my place?" He asked. "He's from the sticks and I think I'm okay with being a city boy."

Kagome was a little irritated until she started giggling, "You know what? Eijun would probably love that. Fine. I'll just go camping in the woods with another guy."

"What's he gonna do?" Miyuki laughed. "He turns into a blushing boy scout around you."

"Maybe," Kagome grinned. "But I only have one tent."

They were coming up on the trail's entrance as Miyuki's hand tightened around Kagome's. "Maybe camping out for one night wouldn't be terrible," he conceded.


	34. Anubis (Kamigami no Asobi)

Series: Inuyasha/Kagmigami no Asobi  
Pairing: Kagome/Abubis  
Prompt: Supposedly, Halloween is the one day when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is the thinnest. I take advantage of this and try to summon the spirit of my [someone important], but end up summoning someone—or something—else instead.

* * *

"Okay," Kagome exhaled to steady her nerves. Her mother was going to kill her if she found out about this. Sure, she'd handled her daughter time-traveling and fighting demons for the greater good of the world fairly well, but Kagome wasn't sure how she'd take to summoning spirits in the house on Halloween.

She wasn't even sure if it would work. Kagome had stumbled across a book on summoning spirits and such while she was in the library, but how much of it could really be accurate? But if there was even just a _chance_ that it could work, she was willing to take it. Worst case scenario, she wasted some time and candles…that or summoned some sort of hell demon. But again, what were the chances it would even work?

Following the instructions from the book, Kagome drew out her summoning circle in chalk and arranged her candles just-so. She checked the chant one more time and tried to focus on some of Inuyasha's more defining features.

Pointed dog ears.

Sharp claws.

Golden eyes.

Her soft chanting paused when the air around her suddenly became much warmer and a soft glow came from the circle in front of her. The light from the chalk lines grew brighter and brighter until Kagome finally had to scoot away and cover her eyes. As it finally started to dim, she blinked to clear the spots from her eyes just in time to see the figure of a young man finish rising out of her floor.

But this young man was _not_ Inuyasha.

Black bobbed hair with matching long. perked dog ears. His skin was pitch black from his hands to his elbows where it faded to a warm brown. He wore black and gold robes that left most of his upper half exposed with golden jewelry and adornments. When the light faded completely from her floor, he slowly opened his eyes as though he was waking up and looked down at her with a golden stare that glowed against his dark skin.

Their gazes held steady in the quiet of Kagome's bedroom for all of about one second before the man she'd summoned went wide-eyed and stumbled backwards into her desk. Her pencil cup toppled over, spilling its contents, and a few books fell to the floor, which only seemed to startle him more. His feet, blackened much like his hands up to his knees, stumbled out of the circle until his back was pressed to the corner of her room.

Kagome, however stunned she was by the turn of events, felt bad for how scared he actually looked. His eyes darted around the room, obviously trying to figure out where he was, but his eyes stilled when they landed on the the chubby cat on Kagome's bed, who'd been snoozing until all of the commotion had woken him up.

Looking back at Kagome with caution, he inched his way towards the bed until he was crouched at the edge, head tilted and beckoning the cat closer with long silvery-white claws. Kagome watched partially out of stunned confusion and partially because she had absolutely _no_ idea what to do in the situation, as Buyo happily walked towards the man only to be scooped up and cradled in his black hands.

Cat in hand, the man seemed to relax considerably, even smiling and speaking to Buyo in a language Kagome couldn't understand. And Buyo seemed happy and safe enough. He even started purring at the attention. It was only then that Kagome noticed a sleek black tail wagging behind the odd man cuddling her cat.

Kagome decided to take a chance and tried to inch closer to the two of them only for the man to suddenly hiss at her. Stopping immediately, Kagome slid back a little more before she got an idea. Slowly, she reached for where Buyo's cat treats had fallen off her desk with her books and held up the little bag.

"Buyo," she called softly, shaking the bag and opening it. Her glutton of a cat did exactly what she expected and wiggled his way out of the man's arms to come curl up in her lap and wait for his treats.

Looking back to the man, Kagome saw that he looked incredibly torn. He obviously wanted to be closer to Buyo but didn't want to get too close to her. She wasn't sure if he was actually scared of her or just painfully shy, but she wanted to try and bridge the gap a little.

Kagome moved slowly as she took one of the treats from the bag and showed it to the man sitting across from her before feeding it to Buyo, who ate it happily. Taking out another treat, she held it out flat in her palm for the man to take. She waited, still and calm for him to creep forward just enough to take the treat from her with his clawed fingertips and lean down low to offer it to Buyo, who once again gratefully accepted the treat.

When the man sat back up and smiled, looking at her with something other than caution for the first time, Kagome felt herself relax a little. Pointing at her chest, she tried to introduce herself, "Kagome."

Looking at him expectantly, Kagome waited to see if the man would respond in kind. It took a moment of him quietly considering her before he finally pointed to himself and softly said, "Anubis."

Kagome sat dumbfounded as he pointed again, this time to the bag of treats in her hand. After sliding the bag forward on the floor for Anubis to take, Buyo went back to the man and waited for more treats while Kagome stared in wonder.

Dear lord. She'd summoned a god.

How in the world was she going to explain this to her mother?


	35. Ban (GetBackers)

Series: Inuyasha/GetBackers  
Pairing: Kagome/Ban  
Starter: Your costume looks complicated. Need help taking it off?

* * *

"Your costume looks complicated. Need help taking it off?"

Looking up to meet Ban's eyes in the mirror, Kagome said, "You know, I could have _sworn_ I locked that door."

"Must've forgot," he shrugged as he pushed off from where he'd been leaning on the door frame and walked closer. "The offer stands. Won't even ask for anything in return."

Kagome rolled her eyes before looking back to the mirror to continue taking off her earrings. The GetBackers had gotten a job that required a little intelligence gathering first, and the best way to do that had been at a Halloween costume party the target threw every year. They'd managed to get their hands on an invitation and enlisted her help, partly to raise less suspicion and partly as a distraction. The job had actually gone very well and they'd gotten out without causing much of a stir.

"Why do I get the feeling that you chose this costume to set up this exact moment?" Kagome asked as she continued to take off her jewelry by slipping off her bracelets.

"I would never," Ban said sounding just a little too affronted to be sincere. "That just happened to be the costume that matched mine best. We had to look like a convincing couple," he explained while moving her hair out of the way so that he could help unhook her necklace, fingers tracing her neck and shoulders a little longer than was really needed.

Kagome took the necklace from Ban and set it on the dresser with the rest of her jewelry. She had to admit that they'd made a nice looking set dressed as a god and goddess. But with the way part of her costume involved a corset that was very flattering, there was no way she believed he had no ulterior motives.

"Thanks for the help with my necklace, but I think I've got it from here," she laughed, shooing him away. There was a little pout on his face, but he turned and walked away without much of an argument, which Kagome was grateful for. Twisting her arms to reach behind her, she fumbled with the hooks and laces that she couldn't see only to realize that the costume had been much easier to put on than it would be to take off. "Ban!" She called out before sighing at what she was going to have to ask.

"Hmm?" Ban hummed as his head poked back around the doorway he'd conveniently left wide open.

Firmly _not_ looking at him, Kagome said, "It looks like I might actually need some help with this…maybe."

He was back in the room and striding towards her in a second, happily saying, "All you had to do was ask."

"I can't see how to open the corset in the back," Kagome explained, still avoiding eye contact. Ban's stare was usually intense enough when she didn't already feel awkward.

Ban didn't say anything as he went to work tugging on laces and pinching open clasps. The room was quiet and Kagome decided to work on taking a few pins out of her hair so that she could shake out the stiffness from the hairspray she'd used. It was only once all of her hair was down and she was running her fingers through it that her eyes finally caught Ban's in the mirror.

She could still feel his fingers working on the corset, but his eyes weren't wavering from her face. Had he been watching her the entire time? Kagome could feel heat rise into her cheeks and had to clear her throat as she looked away just in time to feel the corset start to fall away. Quickly catching it since it was holding the upper part of her costume in place, Kagome looked back up at Ban to find that he was still watching her in the mirror.

Warm hands came to gently rest on her shoulders as he leaned down closer to her and asked, "Need help with anything else?"

Shaking her head, Kagome softly answered, "No, I think I can get the rest. Thanks."

"Okay then," Ban smiled, allowing his hands to slide down her arms before he stepped away from her completely and turned to leave again.

Kagome bit her lip as she watched his back walk away, and she called out again, "Ban." When he turned to see what she wanted this time, she met his eyes without her earlier nervousness as she said, "…maybe."

Grinning and turning to face her fully again, he said, "All you had to do was ask."


	36. Hiei (YuYu Hakusho) II

Series: Inuyasha/YuYu Hakusho  
Pairing: Kagome/Hiei  
Prompt: Interspecies relationships are hard. However, they can rewarding too.

* * *

At no point in his life had Hiei ever even _considered_ entering into a relationship with a human, much less imagined what that would mean. But after becoming involved with Kagome, he'd been forced into realizations about things he'd never even thought would be an issue in a relationship.

Kagome couldn't hear nearly as well as he could. It had been startling in the beginning to realize that sounds he'd always heard and dismissed didn't even register for Kagome. And in that same vein, she often didn't realize how _loud_ she could be. He knew she made a conscious effort to be careful of his sensitive hearing, but it was hard for her to understand without experiencing it herself. This was especially true when they were indoors. She still occasionally forgot that she didn't have to actually yell for him when they weren't in the same room.

There were similar issues with smells and tastes. Almost all of her perfumes were too strong, and he often went shopping with her for no other reason than to smell test her shampoo's and body products. After one particularly bad incident involving a "Moroccan Rose" body lotion, they both thought it best to find something they could both live with. And they'd more-or-less agreed to disagree on most foods. He still called her seasonings weak and she was usually appalled at the combinations he found most savory.

But one of the hardest things for Hiei was having to keep himself in check whenever he touched her.

It had eventually become second-nature in their everyday interactions, but he still had to watch his strength if he ever got too worked up or excited. And it wasn't to say that Kagome wasn't strong, because she very much was in her own way. She could deal him (and most other demons) lethal damage if she so chose, but her body was still very human and considerably more fragile than his.

There had been times in the beginning when he'd held her, gripped her, tugged her, and though she'd never said anything about him hurting her, he'd seen the bruises in the days following. That was how he'd learned just how much more delicately he'd have to handle her if they were going to be together.

At times, more often than he'd ever admit, he wondered if it was all worth it. If going the extra mile lighten his touch to the point of it feeling almost non-existent to him, if dealing with the stomach-turning and headache-inducing smells, if blocking out the loud bangs and clatters and yells, if it was really outweighed by the good times.

"Hey," Kagome smiled as she stepped into their bedroom, fresh out of the bath, dressed for bed, and towel drying her long hair. Sitting on the edge of the bed where he was lying and thinking about their relationship once again, "You look serious. What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing important," he told her only to lift a brow at the skeptical look she gave him. "What? Don't believe me?"

"Not in the slightest," she laughed before tossing her towel over the back of her desk chair and crawling onto the bed to lay with him.

Hiei allowed her to get situated, pressed up against his side with her head on his chest, before he let his arm fall around her waist. The scent of her shampoo, cucumber and green tea, tickled his nose and he inhaled a little deeper. This had become one of his favorites. It had a soft and calming effect on him, much like Kagome.

He often went back and forth on whether that was a pro or a con to their relationship, and it largely depended on his mood at the moment, but there was no denying that she'd softened his edges, calmed his anger and made him more patient. Everyone around him said that it was a good thing, but everything he'd learned growing up screamed against it. It clawed inside of his mind at times, saying that he'd gotten soft and weak. But he didn't feel weak. He'd been alone for most of his life, but he'd found a strength in having Kagome in his life. Not only having someone to fight for other than himself, but knowing that someone was at his back to keep him steady if he should start to fall.

Pulling her a little closer to his side, he listened to her breathing and knew that she was still awake, simply enjoying the silence and his company much the same as he was.

"Your hair is getting my shirt wet," he told her, trying to sound more irritated than he actually was.

"You're basically a space heater," she said while rubbing her nose against his chest. "It'll dry quick enough. Besides, it's getting cold out, so this is cuddle weather."

Hiei wanted to roll all three of his eyes but refrained.

Kagome was loud and delicate and loved scents that made him sick and ate food that he could barely taste at times, but she was worth it. _This_. _Her_. The calm she gave him, the softness she'd caused in him, having a place to come home to and arms that never tired of being wrapped around him, she made all the little annoyances worth every second.


	37. Yato (Noragami)

Series: Inuyasha/Noragami  
Pairing: Kagome/Yato  
Prompt: Hanahaki Disease - Forget-Me-Nots

* * *

It had started out as a tickle in his chest, a small rattle with every inhale. When it finally became too much and he coughed a few times to try and clear out whatever was causing the irritation, Yato was shocked to pull his hand away and find his palm full of tiny, delicate petals in a shade of blue not dissimilar to his eyes.

This was wrong. Something was _wrong_. He'd seen others with the disease before. It was always sad, seeing someone's unrequited love on display for all the world. But Yato knew who had his heart, and he _knew_ he had theirs in return.

So what had happened?

The trip to the shrine was made in a rush, but Yato still glanced around the shrine before stepping foot on the grounds – other gods could get touchy about him being on their turf. But his caution was forgotten when he spotted her going about her usual shrine duties. She wasn't a priestess for him, but she was still _his_ priestess.

"Kagome!" He called out as he approached her.

Kagome paused before looking around, confused. When she shrugged and went back to what she was doing, Yato felt his heart crack a little. Coughing again, a flurry of blue petals fell to the ground with a few full blooms and flower buds mixed in. Yato took a few breaths, wincing at the burn in his throat where the flowers stuck and scratched on the way up.

He stayed for several hours, trying to get Kagome to notice or acknowledge him, becoming more desperate and frantic with each failed attempt. The most he ever got was a glance in his direction, and he _swore_ their eyes met, but soon it was like she was looking right through him.

She hadn't stopped loving him. She couldn't perceive his presence anymore. She'd forgotten that she'd ever loved him to begin with.

The pain was overwhelming and all consuming. The burn in his chest and throat and lungs was dulled considerably by the ache in his heart. It seemed to spread through his blood like poison, making his whole body ache.

He'd returned to Kofuku's home without a word and barely moved from where he decided to lay in the floor, despite the best efforts of Kofuku and Yukine. But once they'd seen the petals and flowers that accumulated around him and stuck to his lips, things became a lot clearer.

"It's so sad…" Kofuku had said in a hushed tone where she sat with Daikoku.

"And ironic," Daikoku added. "They usually are to some level, but that's just mean. Forget-me-nots?"

When they saw Yato flinch at the very mention of the little blue flowers, Kofuku scooted closer to her friend and petted his head. "You know," she said softly as she continued to smooth his hair in an effort to ease some of his pain, "they have another meaning. They also stand for undying love."

Yato curled further into himself. 'Great,' he thought. 'So I'll be coughing up these flowers forever?' He was a god, so he doubted he would ever die from them, but the pain of it, of the scratching flowers and the fresh wave of sadness they brought whenever he saw them, was almost more than he thought he could handle for eternity.

For days he did nothing. The petals would work their way up his throat a few times a day, wet and sticking to the inside of his mouth. He wanted to burn them. They were nothing but a painful reminder of something wonderful he'd lost. But they were _her_ flowers. They were a physical representation of what they'd had and how much he'd loved her, how much he _still_ loved her.

But then it happened.

After more than two weeks of wallowing but finally getting used to the taste and texture of flower petals coating his tongue, none came. Yato woke up already preparing to cough up everything that had accumulated as he slept, but there was nothing. No tickle, no tight feeling, no shortness of breath. His chest was light and clear and still very full of love. He was still trying to figure out what was going on when he felt it, that unmistakable presence that was all _her._

Yato was stumbling over his own feet by the time he got to the front door and flung it open to reveal a stunned Kagome. Surprised by his distressed state, Kagome eventually smiled up at him and held up her shopping bags. "I brought stuff to make lunch for everyone. It feels like it's been forever!"

"Everyone…" Yato's brain was still trying to catch up as he spoke, "Everyone's out today."

"Oh," Kagome let her bags fall back by her side before shrugging and toeing off her shoes to step inside. "I guess it'll just be the two of us then," she said with a smile as she breezed past him.

Yato wondered if he'd finally lost it. Walking up behind Kagome as she started her prep for cooking their lunch, he wrapped her arms around her shoulders and held her tightly. He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled as she laughed at him, putting one of her hands, soft and warm, over his as she asked what was up with him. Yato simply shook his head and held onto her a little longer, even as she continued to giggle at his odd behavior and go back to cooking.

She was really there. She saw him. She talked to him. She laughed and touched his arm. She ate with him. She loved him again.

Yato didn't want to question it, he was afraid to. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were before the stupid flowers had shown up. And they did, for a while at least.

The day came again when the flowers returned, and Yato's screaming had woken up the rest of the house.

With time it became apparent that Kagome's powers, still developing as they were, had entered a state of flux where they would dip between almost nonexistent and then extremely powerful. But this also meant that there were periods where she simply lacked the awareness to perceive him or his existence which naturally made her forget about him.

"Why not just tell her?" Yukine asked him once after Yato had practically coughed up an entire bouquet. "It's not fair that you have to go through it by yourself."

"She doesn't need to know," Yato answered simply. He knew it would only make her feel guilty during their times together when she remembered him, and it was those good times that helped him tolerate the scratching and the tickling and the choking and the ache in his chest. It might be a long time before the flowers disappeared for good, but he would endure each time, his love undying, until she remembered him again.


	38. Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul)

Series: Inuyasha/Tokyo Ghoul  
Pairing: Kagome/Kaneki Ken  
Prompt: Hanahaki Disease - Azalea

* * *

Things always seemed to hit Kaneki quickly and suddenly, and this was no exception. The disease skipped any progression through flower buds and a few stray petals and jumped straight to him coughing and choking and heaving up full flowers, vibrant red and delicate petals usually a little tattered but still oddly beautiful.

But the worst part, beyond even having the disease itself, was that his chances of being cured were slim. There was no way he could confess, not with his other _condition_ , and the surgery available was off the table for much the same reason. He couldn't risk the exposure and especially not potentially hurting someone he obviously cared about.

Tying his apron behind him and adjusting his eye-patch in place, Kaneki made his way to the storefront to begin his afternoon shift. Of course she was there already. Kagome was his best customer. She'd come in a few times for coffee and a light lunch before they struck up a conversation about a book she was reading and the rest had fallen into place very naturally. It wasn't any big wonder that he'd fallen for her–she was pretty and smart and funny and always nice to him no matter how awkward he came off at times–but that certainly didn't make it any less complicated or any easier to deal with.

He was just arranging his tray to take to another table when the familiar tickle in his chest told him he was about to cough. Hands fumbling to set down the last cups quickly, he spilled a little of the coffee he'd just made before having to ignore it and rush into the back.

Kaneki covered his mouth and exhaled with a rasp, feeling the first flowers already sticking in his throat. His first instinct was to swallow them down, but he fought it and gave a few weak coughs to try and move the process along. He'd done his research. He thought the meaning _fragile passion_ was oddly fitting, but on a more pressing note, the little flowers were toxic. Even if he weren't a ghoul whose stomach would physically reject the plant matter, the flowers would make him incredibly sick. He wasn't sure if the toxicity would effect him the same, but he certainly didn't want to risk it.

Once all of the blossoms were cleared from his system for the time being, Kanaki was able to breathe just a little easier. Looking into his hands, he saw that there were more flowers than usual. Even some seeds mixed in with them. But in the small pile of messy red petals was one perfectly intact flower.

There was a small moment of debate before Kaneki was pushing himself to his feet again and making his way to the bathroom. He threw away everything but the one pristine flower before he set about gently washing it with a little soap and cool water (along with his hands, considering he'd just heaved into them). Once the petals were gently patted dry and reformed, Kaneki made his way back to the front of the cafe.

Kagome was still waiting, a different book in hand than the one she was reading the last time she came by a couple of days prior, so Kaneki set about making her usual without even needing to ask what she wanted. On the edge of the saucer for her cup, he placed the single bloom and walked the drink over to her table.

She seemed to be in the middle of reading a passage since she gave a soft thanks but didn't look up from her book yet.

Back behind the counter, Kaneki watched from the corner of his eye until Kagome reached for her drink only for her fingers to brush the petals before finding the cup's handle. She looked up from her book then, surprised as she picked up the small flower to inspect it with a growing grin. When she finally looked over at him, she lifted the flower and nodded in thanks before tucking it behind her ear in a small gesture of acceptance of the gift.

Kaneki wasn't sure how much Kagome knew about flower meanings, if anything, but even if she didn't understand, he hoped the flower's other meaning would carry with her.

 _Take care of yourself for me_.


	39. Phichit (Yuri! On Ice)

Series: Inuyasha/Yuri! On Ice  
Pairing: Kagome/Phichit Chulanont  
Prompt: Hanahaki Disease - Coreopsis

* * *

Lying in bed, Kagome watched the little light on her phone blink with new alerts. It had changed colors a few times, so she knew there were pending alerts on multiple apps, but she would venture a guess that most of them were on for Twitter and Instagram. There was no telling how many times she'd been tagged and mentioned.

A video of her (several of the same event, in fact) was circulating online and spreading like wildfire. It was of her short program during her last competition, but it wasn't her jumps or footwork that was getting the attention.

She'd known she was sick. She had been for a while. But she'd kept it to herself, hiding it as best she could from her coach and family and fans. She didn't want it to interfere with her skating or cause a ruckus off the ice. Staying drama and scandal free was something she was quite proud of, thank you very much.

But during her last performance, as she was approaching the end, the exertion of the last quad of her program had triggered a coughing fit. Her form had gone to hell, she missed her landing completely, and tumbled to the hard, cold ice. And if the shocked and disappointed gasps from everyone watching wasn't enough to make her feel terrible, the bright yellow petals that spilled out from between her fingers and coated the ice certainly did it.

And that was it. Her dirty little secret was out. Kagome Higurashi was in love, it was very much unrequited, and the speculations were flying.

Coreopsis. _Always cheerful_. Was that a hint about the person she loved? Or how she viewed them? There were entire online debates about that very topic.

Every interaction, friendly and professional, she'd had was suddenly under the microscope. Practices, competitions, interviews, everyone was looking for any hint of who figure skating's sweetheart had fallen for.

Kagome was staying out of it. She was neither confirming nor denying any of the many many guesses and she wasn't saying anything about her condition. Her coach had thought it best for her to withdraw from the rest of the season's competitions while they discussed the options regarding her health. The dangers of the disease aside, if she took another fall like that on the ice she could risk a career ending injury.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome unlocked her phone, closing out the notification alerts without looking at the number or really what any of them said. Opening up Instagram, she took a picture of the view outside her bedroom window before typing into the description: _A beautiful morning and a decision finally made. After talking it over with my coach and family and a few doctors, we've decided the best thing would be to have the flowers surgically removed. Recovery time should still allow me to return to skating next season~ Thank you to everyone for your continued support!_

After setting the post to cross-post to her Twitter as well, Kagome rolled out of bed for the day and went about her morning routine of getting a shower, brushing her teeth, coughing up a few handfuls of flowers, brushing her teeth again, and getting some breakfast before she even looked at her phone again. And by that time it was blowing up.

The consensus from pretty much _everyone_ , fans and fellow skaters alike, was that she could potentially be cured if she just confessed to _whoever_ it was. She would be able to avoid an invasive surgery and any complications if she just spoke up. She'd been up front about not wanting to say exactly who she'd fallen for, both for her own privacy and embarrassment and to spare the same for the other person. But in the swamp of comments, there was one that made her falter.

A cheerful man with a happy smile and silly sense of humor, someone who made her heart skip a beat whenever they got to talk at competitions, had told her to go for it, that anyone should be so lucky to get a confession from her, that she really didn't have anything to lose.

So, taking a deep breath, Kagome ran back to her bathroom and dug a flower out of her small trashcan. It was missing a couple of petals, but it was bright and pretty and still clean.

The next picture she posted, uncaptioned since she couldn't think of anything to say that didn't sound stupid, was of an article in a skating magazine, a single coreopsis bloom next to the large picture of the article's focus, Phichit Chulanont.

She waited several minutes, saw the comments pour in but was too nervous to read any of them. Then, finally, an alert notification popped up that she couldn't bring herself to just swipe away.

 _1 new direct message from phichit+chu_


	40. Seven (Mystic Messenger)

Series: Inuyasha/Mystic Messenger  
Pairing: Kagome/Seven (Saeyoung Choi)  
Prompt: Hanahaki Disease - Rainflower

* * *

"Good grief," Vanderwood sighed as they walked into Seven's work space. The genius they were charged with watching appeared to be dozing in his computer chair, head tipped back, eyes shut, and breathing soft. But what caused their irritation were the numerous flower petals surrounding the agency's top hacker. Some of the slender white petals were still soft and fresh, but a good many were also already dry and brittle.

"If he isn't going to look into getting cured, the least he could do is clean up the mess he's making," Vanderwood continued to complain under their breath as they started sweeping up the petals in the floor along and raking the ones littering the desk into an empty chip bag.

"Then what would you have to do when you come over, Vanderwood?" Seven asked, voice still tired as he opened his eyes and stretched. A catch in his chest caused him to suddenly pitch forward, a new rain of petals adding to the mess Vanderwood was still trying to clean up.

As Seven continued to cough up the few petals lingering in his throat, Vanderwood frowned and flatly said, "That's really gross, you know. Those are still wet. I'm not touching them."

"Wait until they dry then," Seven answered, voice hoarse and a little irritated. Taking a few breaths to even out his breathing again, he reached for a nearby bottle of water, cringing at how tasteless it was even if it did soothe his throat, and pulled up a window in the corner of one of his work monitors.

There, in a window that only took up about a quarter of the screen, was the feed from a security camera. It looked out over a hallway, a few numbered doors could be seen on either side. It was still for a few minutes until the elevator in the shot opened and a young woman stepped out. She had a bag of groceries in one arm and her phone in the other hand, tapping at it with her thumb. She continued on her way to the door just under the camera until just the top of her black hair could be seen as she unlocked the door.

Seven was just shifting his attention to another monitor when a quick movement on the video feed caught his attention.

Kagome backpedaled a few steps until she was more in-frame and smiled warmly up at the camera as she waved, phone still in hand. Seven waved back with a small smile of his own, even though he knew she couldn't see him. Picking up his phone, he pulled up the private message feature and opened his conversation with Kagome.

 _Lots of groceries you have there~ What's for dinner, darling?_

He saw on screen as Kagome got his message, laughing quietly before quickly typing out her reply.

 _Sorry Defender of Justice, it's dinner for two tonight. I'll cook for you some other time!_

Seven cleared his throat, waiting to see if he would be coughing up more rainflowers, but it seemed to pass easily enough. Once Kagome disappeared into the apartment, Seven tried to focus back on his work.

Vanderwood watched him as they continued to pick up his trash and petals. "I thought you might get over this after that girl started dating that guy…what's his name? That actor?"

"Zen," Seven answered absently as he continued the work for their latest client. "And what can I say? I obviously haven't. He's good for her though. Better than I would've ever been. I'm not gonna get in their way."

"Talking to her like that probably isn't helping the way you feel," Vanderwood noted, looking pointedly at Seven's phone.

"That's my business."

"Well, your "business" would get you killed out in the field. You know I'll have to report this to the agency if you don't take care of it yourself soon," Vanderwood warned.

Seven stopped in the middle of his work and spun his chair to stare at the other agent seriously. "Don't." They continued to stare at one another before Seven spoke again, "Keep it to yourself for a while longer. If the agency finds out, they'll force me to get the surgery." Looking back to the video feed on the monitor when the computer beeped at new movement in the frame, Seven watched Zen exit the elevator, walk up the hall, and knock on the apartment door. Soon after, Zen was catching Kagome in a hug as they both laughed and smiled before walking back into the apartment together.

Feeling his heart constrict in his chest, Seven suppressed a few coughs. As happy as he wanted to be for his friends, as happy as he was able to be, it still hurt deeply every time he saw them together. _'Even still…'_ he thought. "I don't want to forget the way it feels. Not yet."


	41. Phichit (Yuri! On Ice) II

Series: Inuyasha/Yuri! On Ice  
Pairing: Kagome/Phichit Chulanont  
Prompt: Wondering what your kiss feels like

* * *

"Phichit!" Kagome called out as she jogged towards her boyfriend, avoiding the other skaters and their coaches. They were in the same city for competition, though the women's portion wouldn't be until later in the evening.

Celestino watched his skater's face light up at just the sight of Kagome and decided to step away for just a moment and allow the two a moment. He'd been a little concerned about a girlfriend being a distraction, but she'd proven to be wonderful motivation for Phichit to improve and perform at his best.

"Kagome," Phichit sighed in relief as Kagome wrapped her arms around his middle, careful not to mess up any part of his costume.

"I wanted to see you before you went on," Kagome said as she pulled back a little to smile up at him. "How are you feeling?"

"Good! Especially now that you're here," he told her as his heart began to settle into a calmer beat. "I always do better when I know you're watching."

Kagome beamed up at him. "I feel the same way! And I'm sure you're going to do great, just like always, so go put on a show for me, okay?"

Phichit nodded with a smile but looked up when he saw his coach signaling him to wrap it up. His performance was coming up. Exhaling a deep breath to carry out the last of his nerves, he squeezed Kagome's hands one last time before moving to step away.

"Wait!" Kagome took his hand again to pull him to a stop before looking back up at him. Her cheeks were a little red and she seemed almost as surprised as he felt before she said, "For luck." Lifting up on her toes just a little bit, her face moved closer to his before she hesitated a little and turned her head just enough to kiss his cheek, very near the corner of his mouth. When her feet were back flat on the floor, she softly told him, "Do your best."

Phichit nodded, still a little stunned, as Kagome quickly turned and made her way to the rink so that she could watch his performance in the audience.

Celestino guided him to where he needed to be and was giving his usual pep talk as Phichit put on his skates. But really, he was more or less on autopilot. Kagome had nearly kissed him, he was positive. They'd had little pecks here and there – cheeks, foreheads, noses, hands – but they'd never actually _kissed_. He supposed neither of them really knew when the perfect time for their first kiss would be and they always ended up backing out whenever opportunities _did_ present themselves.

But he'd thought about it. He'd wondered. A lot, actually. Were her lips as soft as they looked? Given how much time skaters spent in cold rooms with dry air, most fought a constant battle against chapped lips. But Kagome's always had a shine to them. He wondered what she would taste like. Was her chapstick flavored? He imagined it tasting like strawberry. What would her reaction be? What would she do with her hands? What would he do with his?

"Phichit," Celestino said firmly to snap him from his thoughts. "Time to focus. Ready?"

"Yes," he nodded as he stood and fell into a few last minute stretches to make sure he was still loose and warmed up. "I'm ready."

As he hit is finale, out of breath and smiling brightly, he had to admit to himself that he thought this was quite possibly his best performance of this program yet. Finally getting his scores confirmed it with a new personal best and he felt positively giddy. While he knew realistically that it was all the time he spent practicing with his coach, he still couldn't help but believe that Kagome's good luck kiss also had a little something to do with it.

Kagome was there to greet him with a tight hug and proud words after he'd changed out of his costume, but she soon had to leave so that she could start getting ready for her own performance.

When he was able to catch up to her later, Kagome already in costume with her hair and makeup done to perfection, he'd made a decision. They talked and hugged and Phichit wished her the best of luck with lots more encouragement, assuring her that he would be in the audience watching. But when her coach told her it was time to start heading towards the rink, Phichit held her back for a moment.

Stepping close and smiling down at Kagome's questioning expression, he told her, "For luck." Phichit brought one hand up to lightly touch Kagome's neck just behind her ear, careful not to disturb her hair or makeup just before she went on, and brought his lips down to meet hers, soft and warm. He could hear her inhale through her nose in surprise, but she quickly relaxed and tipped her head into the kiss, hands pressed against his chest before they slid up to either side of his neck.

He wanted to keep going, wanted answers to the many more questions he still had, but he knew that she needed to go. So, pulling back enough to break the kiss, he spoke softly, "Do your best," before placing one more quick peck against her lips.

Phichit tried not to laugh at how dazed Kagome still looked as her coach had to lead her away by the hand (and may have given him a dirty look). He really hoped that he hadn't just completely blown Kagome's concentration.

Making his way towards a good seat, Phichit ran his tongue over his bottom lip and was a little surprised to find that it tasted like vanilla frosting. The skater before Kagome was still getting her scores when he felt his phone buzz in his jacket pocket. Knowing that he had a couple of minutes, he pulled it out to see the multiple tagged notifications popping up. When he decided to open Twitter first, he was greeted with retweet after retweet of a picture of their first kiss.

He was a little irritated that their intimate moment had been shared so quickly, but he had to admit that it was a really good picture. While he hoped Kagome didn't see it before she went on, he saved it so that he could show her after.


	42. Tooru (Aoharu x Machinegun)

Series: Inuyasha/Aoharu x Kikanjuu  
Pairing: Kagome/Tooru Yukimura  
Prompt: My thoughts about you are inappropriate.

* * *

Kagome had tried to argue at first when Tooru had called to see if she would come over for the day. She knew that he'd been pulling long nights working on pages for his latest volume and he needed rest, but when he _swore_ that he would rest and just wanted her there, she'd finally given in. It turned out that his idea of rest was the two of them on his floor level couch, Kagome reading a book while he took a nap using her lap as a pillow.

After a couple of quiet hours, Kagome could both see and feel Tooru stretch as he woke up, even if he didn't open his eyes at first. A few minutes passed and Kagome knew that he was still awake by the way he was flexing and stretching out his fingers. "What are you thinking about?" She asked quietly, not wanting to break the calm atmosphere of the room.

"You," Tooru answered, voice still a little rough from his nap.

"Oh yeah?" Kagome smiled. "What about me?"

Still unmoving from where his head rested in her lap, Tooru spoke honestly, "Incredibly inappropriate things."

Caught a little off guard but not really surprised, Kagome laughed before marking her page with her finger and looking down at Tooru. "Really now?"

Tooru finally opened his eyes, dark gray meeting blue unobstructed since he'd removed his glasses before his nap. "Mmhmm," he hummed with a small nod. "Wanna hear about it?"

"I don't know," Kagome ventured with some caution. "I never know what might be going on in that head of yours. Besides, I told you earlier that you needed to rest. The only reason I'm even here now is because you promised."

"Work is stressful," Tooru said as he shifted around to sit up and run a hand through his messy hair.

Kagome rolled her eyes, "Which is why you need to rest when you can."

"Mm," Tooru hummed as he reached for his glasses so that he could actually see and turned towards Kagome. "That's not what I mean though. Aside from the deadlines and how long it takes, I'm sitting here by myself having to think up and write and draw so many salacious things. It gets…frustrating." He was just leaning in closer to Kagome when he was stopped by a hand on his chest.

"Wait a second," she told him with a stern look. "Is _that_ why you called me over here?"

"No," Tooru shook his head as he took the wrist of the hand against his chest. Gently lifting it to his mouth, he kissed her palm while looking her in the eye. "I really do sleep better when you're here," he explained. "But now I can't stop thinking about you. Are you sure you don't want to hear about it? Depending on what you think, I might be able to use it for a scene in a later chapter."

Kagome kept eye contact with the mangaka and wanted to glare (but couldn't quite find the motivation) as she felt her heart already speeding up. Tooru was usually so soft-spoken in his everyday interactions that it was easy to forget how sadistic his personality ran underneath. He wasn't one to do things by force, but his passive-aggressive dominance was just as commanding.

Feeling the way his hand gripped her wrist, firm and steady, thumb stroking her inner wrist as he waited for her answer, still staring her down with his dark eyes, Kagome finally spoke, voice leaving on and exhale, "Sure."

* * *

The rest of this chapter leans heavily on the nsfw side for lots of teasing and dirty talk. The full chapter can be found on AO3's version of _Tumblr Archive_ under the same username: YoursAlways


	43. Aizawa (My Hero Academia)

Series: Inuyasha/My Hero Academia  
Pairing: Kagome/Shouta Aizawa  
Prompt: He undresses her with his eyes.

* * *

Aizawa hated these functions.

Every so often he would be forced into a suit to attend a fundraiser of sorts of the school. Sure, they got a good deal of funding from the government, but UA was a huge school with massive facilities in need of constant maintenance and repair. Donations certainly helped keep things running smoothly. But that meant that donors wanted a chance to talk to the famous teachers and staff and maybe even meet some of the more popular members of the school's alumni.

Of course not many people wanted to talk to Aizawa. Only the most dedicated hero fans would even know who he was (which was honestly the way he preferred it), and even then, he was hard to recognize without his goggles and scarves, hair pulled back out of his face and not _quite_ as scruffy-looking as usual. He was told that he was handsome, especially when he put in a little effort, and even saw an occasional glance linger in his direction, but his general demeanor and expression usually kept people from approaching him for friendly conversation.

Tugging at the knot of his tie, not caring if it went crooked as long as he could breathe, Aizawa silently gave thanks for the only thing good about these parties: the open bar. He nodded towards the bartender in thanks as he received a refill on his drink and turned to observe the room.

The burn of the alcohol down his throat was enough to keep him awake, but he was worried how long that would last. At least, he was until a familiar presence slid into place beside him. No way he'd have to worry about nodding off now.

Glancing over at Hizashi Yamada (professionally known as Present Mic), who was dressed similarly in a suit and had surprisingly opted for a more lowkey ponytail instead of his usual spiked 'do, Aizawa noted, "You need a haircut."

Hizashi laughed outright as he ordered his drink and responded, "You're not one to talk, are you?"

Aizawa shrugged. He might hate these things, but having a friend to ride it out with would at least make it more bearable.

As his friend started talking about some of the other heroes that had been roped into attending and which donors needed the most ass-kissing, Aizawa went back to people watching. He liked knowing where everyone was. Well, he liked knowing where certain people were so that they could be easily avoided. His eyes unconsciously flicked over to Toshinori before returning to the crowd.

But then he found a new focus, and what a sight to focus on she was.

Known professionally as Comet due to the "tails" on the energy arrows she produced and fired to nullify or disable the quirks of villains, Kagome Higurashi was popular and often in the spotlight. Not only young and beautiful with a flashy quirk, she was personable and always took time for her fans when they approached her. Aizawa watched her talk with a few donors, humbly downplaying their gushing praise but happily agreeing to autographs and pictures. She was his polar opposite in many ways. But she was also one of the best parts about showing up to the fundraiser.

Aizawa's eyes followed her closely as she made rounds, chatting with different groups and just generally being charming, but his eyes kept drifting over her form. A black bodycon dress, classy and simple, hugged ever visible curve while her jewelry, all silver and pink, was left to make a statement and lend to her image as a hero. Black platform heels helped elongate her legs and add a little to her height, and all of her long black hair was left loose, something that caused her to occasionally push a lock behind her ear in what was just one of many charming gestures.

Taking another sip of his drink, Aizawa let his thoughts wander. They mostly focused on what it would be like to slowly peel that skintight dress off of Kagome's body, watching the material bunch and resist as it stretched over her hips only to quickly give and slip up around her small waist. It would strain again as he tried to work it over her chest, but the effect of her breasts falling free of the tight material, even just the thought of it, was enough to make him have to fight a grin. Aizawa thought he might leave the rest though. Just sparkling silver resting on smooth, pale skin, occasionally jingling as they moved together. And damn if he didn't _really_ like the way those heels made her legs look. Yes, he'd definitely just get rid of the dress.

"Dude," Hizashi chastised with an elbow jabbing into Aizawa's ribs. "You're being gross. And _really_ obvious."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Aizawa told him as he knocked back the rest of his drink, blinking against the burn that spread through his chest and stomach before setting the glass back on the bar.

Hizashi lifted one brow high above his orange shades with a disbelieving "Mmhmm." When Aizawa didn't say anything else in his defense, Hizashi continued, "She's too young."

"She's not _that_ young."

"Young enough that she wasn't even at U.A. while we were still students. Too young for you to strip with your eyes like that."

Aizawa subtly rolled his eyes and thought about ordering another drink when he spotted Kagome making her way towards the bar. She leaned her forearms against the bar as she smiled at the bartender and asked for a water. The man was only too happy to oblige but said that he would need to go get a bottle from the storeroom.

After the bartender left, Kagome turned to look at the men next to her. "Hey guys," she greeted cheerfully. "Hiding out along the edges of the crowd, I see."

"I've just been accused of being gross," Aizawa explained honestly as Hizashi hit him in the arm.

Caught off guard, Kagome snorted before covering her mouth with a hand and repressing giggles as she asked, "And why exactly are you gross?"

Aizawa looked to Hizashi as his friend gave him a challenging look, as though he'd backed himself into a corner. Turning back to Kagome, Aizawa bluntly said, "I was apparently being very obvious about undressing you with my eyes."

Kagome instantly flushed and Hizashi's jaw dropped. It was quiet between the three of them for a few seconds before Kagome seemed to regain her composure and step closer to the older heroes. Reaching out to straighten Aizawa's tie a little, she told him, "I know your eyes are capable of a lot, but I don't think they can take my dress off." Hizashi let out a loud bark of laughter just as the bartender came back and handed Kagome her bottle of water. But the blond's laughter was cut short with a choke as she added, "Your hands would be another matter though." She gave a dainty shrug, letting the implication of her sentence hang between them. "I was actually just getting ready to leave."

Aizawa looked at her in question to make sure he was reading her right, but when she nodded towards the exit he pushed himself away from where he'd been leaning on the bar. A firm pat on the shoulder was the only "goodbye" Hizashi got before Aizawa let his arm drape across Kagome's shoulders and they headed towards the exit together. After a few steps, he let his hand slip down her side to rest on her hip, keeping her close to his side.

Looking up at the man beside her, Kagome shook her head. "Really?" She asked. When Aizawa looked at her without giving an answer, she continued, "He's your best friend. Are you ever going to tell him we've been dating for _months_?"

"I'm actually surprised _you_ haven't told anyone we're together," Aizawa confessed.

"I know you're a private guy," she explained. "You don't like the kind of attention I attract, and since _my_ personal life is _your_ personal life, I figured I'd keep it to myself until you're ready to go public."

"We might not be able to keep it private after tonight," Aizawa sighed as he noticed more than a couple of people pointing them out and taking pictures as they left.

Kagome hummed before she spoke again, "We'll deal with it when it needs to be dealt with. But for now I need to know if you're going to help me out of this dress since you helped me into it."

Aizawa's only answer came in the form of a smirk and his hand squeezing her hip.


	44. Newt Scamander (Fantastic Beasts)

Series: Inuyasha/Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them  
Pairing: Kagome/Newt Scamander  
Prompt: Each of my fantasies involves you.

* * *

Japan was amazing, Newt thought. Sure, he stuck out like a sore thumb any time he needed to go to the nearest town and he still needed someone to interpret for him more often than not, but there were so many creatures to see and study.

And he'd found the best possible person to teach him about the incredible beasts he encountered.

Newt checked one of the small clutches, two eggs in this particular nest, and was very pleased to see that there were no cracks or chips in the shells and they were being kept sufficiently warm. He almost toppled over when a large nose bumped against him before a low rumble echoed beside him. Laughing as he tried to regain his balance and straighten up, Newt turned to look at a mildly irritated dragon. "Now that was uncalled for," he chastised before reaching out to rub the bridge of the dragon's nose and ruffle a hand through her thick mane. "You know I would never hurt them, just checking that everything's still in order."

"She's probably grumpy because that's her job," Kagome laughed from further into the underground cavern which acted as the den for several dragons. "You're supposed to observe, Newt," she reminded him as she checked the foggy eye of one particularly old dragon. "They know what they're doing."

"I can't help it," Newt argued back gently as he stepped back and allowed the dragon that had bumped him to settle near her nest and breathe hot air into the dirt and straw that made up and insulated her nest. "I suppose I've taken in so many orphans that playing mother is a bit second nature at this point."

He loved studying the dragons of Japan. This particular clan was a species that was much smaller than the different dragons of Europe, but they were no less dangerous if provoked. Highly intelligent and protective of those they saw as their own, they were fascinating to watch. It had taken him the better part of a year to earn their trust, and he suspected that it had only happened that quickly due to Kagome's influence. From what she'd told him, she'd lived with and protected this particular clan for a very long time as a favor to the master of the clan's patriarch and forbear. The old dragon was still alive, though in decline and long since out of the breeding pool.

Approaching Kagome slowly so as not to startle the old dragon whose eyesight wasn't nearly what it once was, Newt asked, "How are they?"

"I think Un is sad for Ah," Kagome sighed as she combed her fingers through their graying manes. "Ah is almost completely blind now, but Un is still taking care of his brother." Standing up and brushing the dirt from her hakama, Kagome watched Un lay his head protectively on top of his brother's before starting a soothing rumble deep in their chest.

Kagome had explained a theory early in their time together that she had about this particular species. They typically only laid one or two eggs in a breeding season, she'd only seen three once, and most of the hatchlings would have a single head. But every so often, a two-headed baby would hatch. They didn't display any symptoms of defects or anomalies and always grew up as healthy and functional as their single-headed siblings and cousins. So Kagome had come to believe that the two-headed dragons were roughly the equivalent of twins. Newt thought it was a fantastic theory that of course required much more first-hand observation.

As Kagome stretched out her back and cast a glance around to make sure that the other dragons were in the den for the evening, Newt averted his eyes and tried not to blush. Typically, Kagome wore a set of hakama with a kimono while she worked with the dragons, but with the breeding season in full swing and the den unusually warm with all of the heated nests, she had taken to shucking the upper part of her kimono. It remained tucked into her hakama as she merely tied the sleeves around her waist to keep them out of the way. This, of course, left her upper half bare except for the usual chest wrappings she wore underneath.

While it usually left him a little flustered, he himself not working up to removing his shirt yet even with the heat, Newt loved this life. He loved the gentle giants he was studying, but he thought he might just like studying Kagome more. The way she interacted with and spoke to the beasts she came across, he'd never seen someone other than himself treat them that way. She was bold and intelligent. Maybe a bit reckless at times when she thought the situation called for it, but quick to keep others from putting themselves in similar dangers. She loved to learn and was willing to teach. Having gone through life with so many people laughing at him and dismissing what he was so passionate about, Newt almost felt like he'd found something of a soulmate in Kagome.

Stepping closer behind the petite woman, Newt tentatively wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his forehead against the top of her head.

"Newt?" Kagome laughed as she placed a hand on on of his arms. "It's getting late and it was a long day. Are you tired?"

Newt shook his head, nose brushing against the messy bun Kagome had secured her hair into hours earlier. Inhaling deeply, he smiled at the mixture of smells he'd come to associate with his dragon teacher; earth and sweat and flowers with just a hint of soot. It spoke of the life she lived, one they'd shared for several years now, and how hard she worked and he loved it. His fingers rubbed lightly across the skin of her shoulders and upper arms, smooth and incredibly warm.

Part of him wanted to show Kagome the rest of the world and all the things he'd discovered across the globe. He had a bit of wanderlust in his veins and he could see them together in so many places, discovering and learning together. But her place was here with the dragons and for as long as it was, it was his place too. As much as travel called to him, he could no longer see himself anywhere alone. It was always with her, side by side, hand in hand.

"Newt?" Kagome asked again, more concern in her voice this time as she shifted to try and look up at him. "Are you okay?"

Moving to place a soft kiss to Kagome's cheek, Newt finally looked at her, face red and flushed up to his ears, and nodded. "Never better," he answered with a small smile. "Just thinking of how happy I am here."


	45. Conner (Young Justice)

Series: Inuyasha/Young Justice  
Pairing: Kagome/Conner Kent  
Prompt: Each of my fantasies involves you.

* * *

Conner had first thought that he was well and truly screwed when he realized that almost all of his free time outside of missions or training was being spent at one particular coffee shop in Metropolis. And when he wasn't there, he was usually thinking about one barista in particular. He'd saved her during an attack on the city more than a year ago and had received an open invitation to the little shop she worked at for whatever he wanted, her treat.

He hadn't intended to ever take her up on it and had actually forgotten the name of the coffee shop she'd told him about until he'd been dragged there one day with a few other Team members. The way her face had lit up when she saw him had been equal parts embarrassing and flattering. And, somehow, he'd found himself going more and more often. So often, in fact, that the rest of the staff at the coffee shop also had his usual order memorized.

"Conner!" Kagome called as he stepped through the door causing the little chime to ring out. Looking her way, Conner saw that Kagome was restocking the pastry display beside the counter. "If you want to wait a minute, I'm going on break after I finish this. We can catch up!"

Conner nodded before he sat as his usual table. He watched Kagome go about arranging the cupcakes and lemon bars and brownies. There were a few new confections he didn't recognize, seasonal specialties if he had to take a guess. As he watched her move, he wondered if Kagome had that skip in her step even before he came in.

Groaning at the thought, Conner rubbed a hand over his eyes. Why was he even there? He should _not_ be getting this involved, especially with as much as she already consumed his thoughts. Kagome's face was often the last thing he thought of before he went to sleep and the first thing he thought of when he woke up. It had led to more than one intense dream and awkward morning. His daydreams and wandering thoughts usually drifted her way, and he really wasn't sure how much longer that could be kept up before others started to notice just how often he mentally checked out. He was pretty sure a few Team members already had some suspicions. Giving it a moment of real thought, Conner was a little surprised none of them had tried to tail him yet.

Before he knew it, a cup of coffee and a sandwich was placed in front of him on the table as Kagome sat down with her own lunch. "So," she breathed with a smile, "what have you been up to?"

They spent her lunch break catching up on what they'd each been doing since his last visit. She asked about his "work", well aware of his superhero status and trying to draw as little attention to it in public as possible. He remembered to ask how the project she'd been working on for a class had gone. Things were nice. He had so much trouble interacting with other people sometimes, that being able to talk with someone who made him feel _normal_ was relaxing.

It was possibly because he was so relaxed around her that he didn't hear the incoming danger until it was almost too late. Conner was able to push Kagome to the ground and cover her with his larger frame just before a crushed car shattered the cafe's large picture window and caved in part of the front wall.

"Are you okay?" Conner asked loudly over the screams and background commotion, eyes sweeping over Kagome for any obvious injuries.

Shaking her head still in shock, it took Kagome a moment before she was able to take a deep breath and actually answer, "No, I'm fine. Go. The city needs you more."

Conner hesitated a moment, Kagome could see it in the way his shoulders tensed and arms flexed despite not actually moving, but he eventually gave her a sharp nod before quickly pushing himself to his feet, shoving the car out of the cafe and back onto the street, and bounding off to find out who in the hell had ruined his day.

Things were hazy as his eyes opened, but the first thing to come mostly into focus was the concerned blue of Kagome's eyes staring down at him. Almost distantly, he could hear her saying his name, her dark hair falling in a curtain over her shoulder. A soft, warm hand was pressed against the side of his face, thumb stroking over his cheek just below his eye. Pink light shimmered and sparkled above and around her, lending the entire vision an ethereal quality. He'd had dreams like this. And if this was a dream…

Conner reached up with one hand, fingers pushing into Kagome's thick hair, soft and silky, before he pulled her down into a kiss. He heard a surprised squeak, but it almost immediately faded into a soft hum. His tongue traced along her bottom lip before she tilted her head and allowed her tongue to meet his in gliding touches. He was just thinking about how nice she smelled for a dream when Kagome very suddenly pulled away and shook her head.

"Conner!" She tried calling to him again, one hand pulling his hand from her hair to hold it gently as her other hand patted against his cheek gently. "That was really nice but not really the right time or place. C'mon, you need to snap out of it. Are you okay?"

Things came into swift focus for Conner then. He quickly sat up and noticed that they were in a darkened and empty building, a large hole busted through one wall. He also immediately realized that this was _not_ one of his dreams. Wide blue eyes on Kagome, Conner was quick to apologize, "I am so sorry, I don't know what–"

"It's okay," Kagome cut him off with a fierce blush rising to her cheeks. "It was really great actually, but kind of a save-it-for-later thing."

"What happened?" Conner asked, rubbing his head and finally taking a good look at the dome of pink protecting them from debris falling from the weakened walls and ceiling. "What's this?"

Kagome looked Conner over for any serious damage as she explained, "You got thrown through a cement wall head first. Really hard by the look of it. You weren't out long though, just long enough for me to run across the street and check on you. And this," she gestured to the light surrounding them, "well, you aren't the only one with special powers." She watched as his vision seemed to clear a little more before asking, "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah," Conner nodded as he stood and walked to one shining wall only to tap on it a few times. "I need to get back out there though."

Kagome moved to stand next to him before letting her barrier fall and quickly stepping outside before anymore loose bricks could fall around them. Grabbing Conner's wrist before he could leap away, Kagome leaned up to give his cheek a quick peck as she said, "Be careful out there."

Conner nodded and paused before telling her, "I'll come back when I'm done and we can, uh…talk about this."

"I'd like that," Kagome smiled up at him before allowing her fingers to slip from his wrist. He was in front of her only for a heartbeat before he was gone, back in the fray, and Kagome was left to quietly pray for his safety.


	46. Newt Scamander (Fantastic Beasts) II

Series: Inuyasha/Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them  
Pairing: Kagome/Newt  
Note: gift for kazemari (tumblr)/MariDark (ffn) in the Kagx Secret Santa exchange

* * *

Kagome ran her fingernails down Kirara's spine, scratching lightly as the little demon cat purred next to her on the bed. They'd been apart for almost a year, and she never knew that she could miss one tiny rumbling sound so much.

They'd been separated during their travels when Kirara had been injured in a fight. Kagome had tried to find someone who could help her friend, but the "doctor" had been a front for obtaining rare and magical creatures. By the time Kagome had realized exactly who and what they were, it was too late and Kirara had vanished.

She'd followed rumors and hearsay across multiple continents and countries to get her friend back, but it wasn't until she ran into one odd wizard that she felt like she was making any real headway. Newton Scamander - or Newt, as he'd introduced himself - was tracking something as well, and it seemed like they were trying to find the same people. Even with the two of them working together, it had taken several months for them to find the traffickers just as they were setting up for an auction in Egypt. A distraction, a little magic, and a simple plan that got a little out of control ended up yielding one thunderbird and one nekomata before the two of them ended up using the confusion they'd stirred up to run for their lives to the nearest train station.

Wanting to see the mission to return the thunderbird, now called Frank, to its natural habitat through to the end (and having grown attached to Newt and his endearing awkwardness), Kagome traveled with the wizard across Africa to the port where the two of them were able to book a room on board a ship bound for New York.

Kirara's head lifted from the mattress just before Kagome heard the 'click click' of Newt's suitcase unlocking so that he could climb out again.

"How's everyone doing in there?" Kagome asked, not lifting her head from the pillow she was resting on. "Is Frank still doing okay?"

"Mhm" Newt nodded as he quickly shut his suitcase and latched it again before any of his more mischievous creatures could slip out behind him. Honestly, the last thing any of them needed was a magical troublemaker causing mischief while they were at sea. Setting his suitcase on the room's small corner table, Newt crossed over to the bed and sat on the edge before reaching out a hand to feel Kagome's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

Kagome smiled at his concern as she answered, "I sipped on some water after you went to check on everyone, but that spell or charm or whatever you did helped a lot. I'm feeling a lot better now, thanks."

"Of course," Newt gave her a small grin in response before averting his eyes and focusing on Kirara instead.

Watching as he reached out to run a finger behind one little black ear, Kagome shook her head at what she'd long ago accepted as typical Newt behavior. He was a lot more comfortable around her than he'd been when they'd first met, but he still had little moments where his awkwardness got the better of him. But when she saw him around all of his different beasts and creatures, the way he smiled so happy and open, the way he talked to them like he would anyone else, how much care he put into accommodating them and their needs, she thought she might be a little in love.

"It's getting late," Kagome stated as she shifted and stretched out her back. She'd spent a good part of the day in bed after getting seasick, and she was a little stiff. "Are you almost ready for bed?"

Nodding an affirmative, Newt ran a hand through his hair before scooping up Kirara and carrying her over to the corner table where his suitcase rested. "You'll watch over everyone again tonight, won't you, to make sure no one sneaks out?" He asked as he laid Kirara down on a small pillow beside the suitcase. When he received a happy purr in response, he held out his hand and allowed Kirara to nuzzle against him one last time before he went back to bed.

Meeting Kagome certainly hadn't gone as he'd anticipated. He hadn't intended to have a companion in his travels, but things had just sort of fallen into place with the two of them. At the time, they'd had a similar goal. She'd been invaluable in retrieving Frank, her presence alone helping to calm the skittish beast while Newt tried to earn his trust. Since the traffickers hadn't really known or cared about thunderbird needs and behaviors, Frank had been grossly mistreated, and Newt had expected much more of a struggle in getting the beast to come with him, much less trust him. But once Kagome has started speaking to him, Frank had settled down enough for Newt to get close enough to free him. And he would be lying if he said the bonus of getting to study an incredibly rare creature like a nekomata wasn't an added little bonus.

But even though she was unexpected and bold and often more than Newt really knew how to handle, he'd definitely come to appreciate and care for Kagome in her own right. She helped him care for his creatures without shying away and followed his instructions on their care to the letter. She told him stories of new beasts he'd never come across and made note to one day study. She even helped him navigate some of the trickier aspects of interactions with non-magic folk. She had become such an important part of his life in such a short time that it was still a little odd to him at times. He could hardly remember what it was like traveling alone anymore.

Having already changed into something comfortable enough to sleep in while he was inside his suitcase, Newt turned out the room's light and slid under the sheets. He turned on his side, having to be careful not to fall off the edge of the bed that was just shy of being too narrow for two people, and watched what little of Kagome's moonlit profile he could see given the darkness of the room and the little amount of light coming through their porthole window. He got along with Kagome much better than most other people, and if he was being honest with himself, he hoped that she continued to travel with him for a lot longer than it took to get Frank home.

Newt slid his hand along the bed in the dark until he found Kagome's hand and wrapped it in his. Her hands seemed to be cold more often than not, and he brought her fingers to his lips, trying to will her hands warm with a kiss. He saw a little of the moonlight catch the blue of her eyes as they blinked open to look at him before her cheeks lifted in a smile and she pulled his hand towards to her return the kiss to his much warmer fingers. Newt absently wondered if she would ever _not_ give him butterflies in his stomach, but he was glad for the room's darkness to hide the pink that still rose to his cheeks even after all their time together.

Tightening his grip on her hand, Newt wasn't sure exactly how to categorize their relationship, but he knew that it made him happy. "Your fingers are cold," he said softly into the dark.

"It's a little chilly in here," Kagome answered as she scooted closer so that she could snuggle into into his warm chest. "You're always warm though," she teased.

Newt made a small noise in the back of his throat as he became very aware of how close he was to the edge of the bed. "You might have the safety of a wall behind you, but this is a bit precarious for me," he told her.

Laughing as she moved away from him again until her back was almost flush to the wall, Kagome tugged on Newt's shirt and told him, "Then come over this way a little more."

Shifting in the bed again, Newt felt a little more secure this time when Kagome wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled him close. He returned the gesture, hand sliding up her back and brushing against her hair, and he eventually felt one of Kagome's legs work in between his to twine their limbs together.

"This is going to be a long trip," she told him as she lifted her face to try and see him in the dark. With a light laugh, she added, "We might as well find a comfortable way to both sleep on this bed."

Newt couldn't really argue and smiled as he placed a kiss on her forehead. Soon enough, with a little more shifting, Kagome was rising to meet him for another kiss. Their lips met, a little clumsy with bumped noses since they couldn't quite see each other, and Newt could feel a slight tingle against his lips as Kagome hummed happily into the kiss. Hearing the sound, feeling it, caused a little skip in the beat of Newt's heart. Pressing his hand in between Kagome's shoulder blades, he pulled her closer to prolong their kiss. Kagome's hand gripped his shirt and tugged as her hum pitched lower until they separated, several short pecks following.

Still very much in each other's space, they could both feel the other's breath brush against their faces as a quiet understanding passed between them. Neither wanted the moment to end there.

* * *

The rest of this chapter is nsfw. The full chapter can be found on AO3's version of _Tumblr Archive_ under the same username: YoursAlways


	47. Lance (Voltron: Legendary Defender) II

Series: Inuyasha/Voltron: Legendary Defender  
Pairing: Kagome/Lance  
Note: continuation of Lance (ch.32)

* * *

The soft 'swoosh' of his door opening barely woke him up, only halfway pulling him out of his dream. And while he did wake up a little more when his bed dipped a little at the edge and someone else crawled under his blanket, it wasn't out of any sense of alarm. He didn't need to see or ask who it was or what they needed. All it took was feeling the slight tremble beside him for Lance to wrap an arm around Kagome and rub her back.

This had oddly enough become their normal.

After saving her from her enslavement, things had gotten complicated. The rest of his friends had found them before the guards could haul he and Kagome back to the cells (or worse), but then there was a certain level of diplomacy that had to be observed. They were still guests on a foreign world, but Allura _could not_ overlook the trafficking and suspected killing of abducted lifeforms.

It had gone by in a bit of a blur with yelling and accusations that Lance had been in restricted areas which conflicted with ancient customs, but Allura had eventually made it clear that if they wished to have a place within the Voltron Alliance and have a level of protection from the Galra, this particular custom needed to come to an immediate end.

In the end, they'd all made it off the planet with Kagome in tow, though Allura and Coran made a note to check back with that planet at a later time.

But things hadn't simply ended there. Kagome had needed to spend a couple of days in a cryo-replenisher, and they'd used that time to decide what to do about her situation. They couldn't travel all the way to Earth to take her home, they simply didn't have time to take out of their mission. But they couldn't exactly send her off in a pod ship either. She would have no idea how to pilot it or correct an issue if the autopilot malfunctioned. And that wasn't even taking into account the possibility of her being attacked and possibly abducted again. It was pretty much agreed on that she'd been through enough for the time being.

With few options left to them, they made the decision to keep her aboard the castle with them for the time being. And it actually turned out to be something of a morale booster for the Paladins. As a fellow human and someone somewhat removed from their fight against the Galra, Kagome felt like a connection to home that they thought they'd lost, and they often ended up arguing over who would get to show her a new part of the castle outside during their free time.

During everyone's waking hours, everything seemed fine. It was a different story after lights out, however.

Kagome had barely been out of the cryo-replenisher for a couple of nights before the screaming had started. Everyone was understandably on edge, thinking about the possibilities of infiltration or attack, but when they reached Kagome's room they didn't find any signs of danger.

Kagome, on the other hand, was in a panic. Even with the lights on, she couldn't snap out of whatever nightmare she'd been having and pressed herself, curled up to make herself as small as possible, into the corner of her bed cubby.

Allura was the first to try approaching her, using a soft voice to soothe the terrified girl, but Kagome only cried harder when the princess reached out to gently touch her arm.

Then, in the confusion of what should be done as Kagome seemed near inconsolable, things went quiet when Kagome sobbed out Lance's name. Her voice was small and scared as she stayed curled in on herself, and while Lance loved being the hero, he was terrified in this particular situation. Kagome was obviously having some sort of flashback to her imprisonment, and the last thing he wanted to do was potentially make things worse. But with the prompting of everyone behind him, he took slow steps towards Kagome's bed before taking a seat on the edge.

She'd flinched at the movement, but when he said her name and spoke to her, Kagome launched herself at him, nearly sending both of them to the floor. It was only when he started assuring her that she was safe that her breathing began to even out into something less panicked. He'd held her in much the same way as when they'd been trapped in the bone room together until she stopped shaking and fell back asleep from exhaustion.

And it unfortunately hadn't been the last time the castle's inhabitants had been awoken by screaming in the middle of the night. They were, however, better prepared to handle it after that first night. Lance was always the one sent to check on her and help coach her through it, mostly since he was the only one she'd let anywhere near her during the episodes. But then one night things had changed.

Instead of screaming, Lance was woken up by a shaky whisper of his name and Kagome asking if she could sleep with him for the night. He'd been hesitant at first, unsure if it was a good idea and a little nervous about what the others would do if they found Kagome with him in the morning, but when he felt her hand on his arm, trembling in the dark, he decided that he would deal with the consequences later.

After talking it over with Allura and Shiro, he was surprised to find that they were fairly receptive to the idea. As long as it was Kagome coming to him on her own, they weren't worried about anything happening between them. Everyone knew that Lance was a shameless flirt, but he was far from being a bad person, much less the type of person who would take advantage of a situation like that.

So as Kagome once again snuggled against his side and held onto him tightly, Lance tiredly rubbed her back as he asked, "You okay?"

Kagome's hand tightened around the fistful of shirt she held before she nodded.

"Really?" Lance asked, not quite believing her. He doubted she would be there if everything was fine.

There was a pause before Kagome shrugged.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Another pause and then she shook her head.

Lance sighed, but that was fine. He always asked because he thought talking about things might make them better, might help the nightmares come less frequently. But he wasn't going to push it. He would be there when she was ready. Until then, he would simply wait and offer what comfort he could.


	48. Chrollo (Hunter x Hunter)

Series: Inuyasha/Hunter x Hunter  
Pairing: Kagome/Chrollo Lucilfer  
Prompt: Hanahaki disease - Calycanthus (Benevolence)

* * *

 _"Wow, okay," Kagome sat back and looked Chrollo in the eye. He'd come to her looking for a nen exorcism, so of course she'd given him an examination to see exactly what she'd be dealing with. What she found was startling to say the least. "Someone was…really mad at you. What did you do?"  
_  
 _"Does that really matter?" Chrollo asked, expression soft and smile charming. "You'll be paid well for your services."_

 _Kagome narrowed her eyes at him in thought. The fact that he wasn't forthcoming with the circumstances of his affliction didn't make her feel any better. Chrollo was polite enough, soft-spoken and charming to a point. But there was a hardness to his eyes that was just enough to put her on edge, something that told her he didn't mind doing whatever he felt was necessary to get the results he wanted. "The reason matters to me more than the money," she finally told him._

 _"It's the revenge of someone who holds a deep grudge against me."_

 _"That still doesn't tell me why they hated you so much," Kagome said, feeling more nervous by the second. She didn't like feeling like she was being manipulated, especially without knowing all the facts. "This person essentially put a knife to your throat for the rest of your life and left you defenseless to anyone else. That's not a small, petty grudge."_

 _Chrollo stared at her for several long moments before he asked, "Hypothetically, would you treat someone who stole from others? Lied and manipulated? Murdered?"_

 _Kagome swallowed, watching the steady look Chrollo was giving her, trying to get a read on him. "Hypothetically?" She asked. "Does that person still have the potential to do good? Or are they only capable of evil?"_

 _Humming in thought, Chrollo answered, "They care about their friends and would do almost anything for them. They help protect a city of people discarded by the rest of society. I suppose it depends on your definition of "good"."_

 _Kagome could admit to herself that she still wasn't completely sure about the man in front of her. She knew there was a lot that he wasn't telling her, but there was still something about him. Resigning herself to the fact that she may well regret her decision, she leaned forward as she said, "Okay, but it won't be immediate. I can't remove something that deep and angry in one go without risking some sort of backlash on one or both of us."_

 _"That's fine," Chrollo smiled at her. "I'm just glad you decided to take the job."_

 _"Yeah, well…" Kagome trailed off as she brought her hands up, bracing one on his shoulder and the other against his chest to begin his first treatment. "So what could your nen do when you could actually use it."_

 _"So many amazing things," Chrollo said, watching her work and looking forward to getting this finally taken care of._

* * *

Kagome sat in her bathroom floor, hand over her mouth as she coughed and choked and gagged until long burgundy petals tickled her palm. As they littered the tile around her, she stared at them with wide eyes. "Oh no," she whispered, knowing what it meant.

She'd been treating Chrollo for several months, the removal of the foreign nen taking much longer than she'd originally thought. In that time, as she got to know him, there were moments when she could feel herself warming up to him, despite his past doings. He was smart and loved to have long discussions about the books he'd read. He also had an odd sense of humor, a little dark and very dry, but he made her laugh. Surprisingly enough, they got along really well and _damn it_ , she should have seen this coming sooner. How could she have not realized exactly what that warm feeling in her chest was leading up to?

"Kagome?" Chrollo asked as he knocked on the door.

"Sorry," Kagome apologized as she was startled into motion. Gathering up all the petals into a pile so that she could throw them away, she called over her shoulder, "I'll be right out. Go wait in the living room."

Things were quiet in the small hallway for a moment before she heard his footsteps turn and fade away. Quickly pulling herself together, Kagome checked over her reflection in the mirror, looked inside her mouth, trying to find any fragment of leftover petals or anything that could give her away. When she noticed an incredibly sweet scent on breath, she reached for a bottle of mouthwash.

She only had to get through a few more treatments with Chrollo. Then he would be gone and these feelings would fade and it wouldn't be an issue anymore. The burn of the alcohol coated the inside of her mouth as she thought, _'Why him though? Why did it have to be him?'_ She was really beginning to question her taste in men.

Breath minty fresh and petals buried under tissues in the trash, Kagome made her way to the living room and wasn't surprised to see Chrollo reading as he waited for her.

"Ready?" Kagome asked as she moved to sit down across from him. "It won't be much more after today."

"That's good to hear," Chrollo said as he closed his book and sat up straight. "I know you're being paid for this, but I've imposed on you for too long."

"It's fine," Kagome told him as she pressed her hands to his chest so that she could chip away a little more of the slowly dissolving nen. "Really, don't worry about it."

The room was quiet and calm as Kagome worked, hands warm and glowing as she focused on her task. She was so focused that didn't think much of the first tickle in the back of her throat. Or the second. It was only when she had to clear her throat and Chrollo asked "Are you okay?" that she began to worry a little.

It was still too early, wasn't it? She'd just coughed up a good many petals in the bathroom. It must be a few strays caught in her throat. It would calm down soon enough. It had to. "I'm fine," Kagome answered, focus redoubling. "Just a tickle in my throat. Allergies probably."

Time passed and the tickle didn't fade. It grew in strength and she had to physically stop herself from clearing her throat over and over. She couldn't let him know. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for it to become a struggle to breathe, each breath having to be forced past a growing collection of petals. But she was almost done for the day. Almost there. She just had to hold out.

But then her chest heaved against her will and her powers sputtered out as she had to gasp for breath. Pushing herself to her feet, she stumbled away from Chrollo as quickly as she could but still didn't make it far before she fell to her knees, coughing and dry heaving until petals were fluttering to the floor.

"Kagome!" She could hear his shout behind her and wanted to cry. He would know. There was no way she could hide it now. But Chrollo's hand was gentle on her back, rubbing and patting as she continued to cough until her throat was raw.

When she was able to breathe again, the room got oppressively quiet. She didn't look up at him, she couldn't, and she bit her lip when he eventually asked, "Who?"

The disease wasn't unheard of. Everyone knew stories and what it meant. But the question, an out he was giving her where she could lie, only made her chest tight again. Looking up at him, she picked up a deep red petal from the floor and offered it to him.

He recognized the gesture for what it was immediately, but his expression was conflicted. "Kagome," his voice was quiet as he held her hand around the petal before leaning in to kiss her forehead, "you're too kindhearted. First you agree to get rid of this curse, and now this. You deserve a better life than that."

"Well, you know what they say," Kagome said with a sad smile. "You don't always get to choose who you fall in love with."


	49. Toyohisa (Drifters)

Series: Inuyasha/Drifters  
Pairing: Kagome/Toyohisa  
Prompt: The way you said "I love you" - Loud, so everyone can hear.

* * *

Sitting down heavily next to Nobunaga, Toyohisa frowned at the bowl of stew in his hands before he finally started to eat.

Nobunaga knew exactly what was wrong, he'd certainly been watching the back-and-forth between their army's commander and their lady archer for long enough, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to say anything about it just yet. If nothing else, the two of them provided some entertainment in the evenings. He watched Yoichi take a seat next to Kagome with some of the elves, and Nobunaga had to hand it to the marksman for trying to get Kagome to quit glowering at Toyohisa. Not that it was working, but he gave the lad credit for trying.

Sliding his gaze to the man next to him, Nobunaga asked, "Did you try talking her off the battlefield again?"

"No," Toyohisa answered, taking in another mouthful of stew. When Nobunaga raised a brow at him, Toyohisa swallowed and said, "I ordered her, as her commander, to stay out of battle."

Nobunaga laughed in his face, "You are some kind of stupid, aren't you?" When Toyohisa, already in a foul mood, gave him a look, Nobunaga asked, "Why are you so hellbent on keeping her off the battlefield? You've seen what she can do. Much more guidance from Yoichi and she'll be giving him a run for his money. She's more of an asset than a liability."

"She could get hurt," Toyohisa answered as though it should have been obvious enough.

"That honor code of yours is damn rigid, huh?" Nobunaga rubbed at the scruff along his jaw and chin as he slipped into thought. "She fights as well as any of the men. Has more battle experience than most of the men we recruited in the beginning. Holds her own in the face of danger. What are you so afraid of that you keep picking this fight with her?"

"She could die," Toyohisa told him, still not catching on. Nobunaga was an intelligent man. He should realize the danger Kagome was in.

Again, Nobunaga laughed. "Of course she could die. Any of the men could die. We could die. But that doesn't mean we can stop fighting. Do you care if the rest of us are cut down? Or just her?"

"We're men. It's different," Toyohisa said, finishing off the rest of his stew. "I know she's not like the women of our time. She's…special."

"That's one way of putting it," Nobunaga agreed.

"If she has to be angry at me for her to stay safe, then so be it."

Nobunaga sighed and ran a hand over his face. "You're doing this because you care about her?"

"Of course."

"Do you care about her or do you love her?"

"I…" Toyohisa had to pause for a moment before the answer came to him, clear as day. "I love her," his said with the same confidence he had in everything else he did.

"Then here's some advice from someone older and wiser," Nobunaga began. "She's usually pretty observant, but she's as dense as you are when it comes to herself. She probably thinks you're doing this because you think she can't hold her own. Tell her it's because you love her, and see what she says about it then."

Toyohisa considered Nobunaga's words for all of three seconds before he was on his feet and facing where most of the archers were eating. "Kagome!" His voice called out across their camp, causing everyone to pause, because when Toyohisa spoke, they listened. "I love you!"

All heads snapped to Kagome in time to see her bowl slip from her hands and spill on the ground at her feet while she sat wide-eyed and mouth open. With each second that passed, her face grew more and more red before she finally stood up and marched over to Toyohisa. She didn't stop or say a word, only snatched him by his collar to drag him just outside the edge of their camp and beyond ear shot.

Nobunaga, Yoichi, and all the men in camp watched as Kagome stopped them some distance away and started yelling. To his credit, Toyohisa yelled back, though no one in camp could make out any of the words. After several exchanges, Kagome grabbed his collar again and yanked him down for a kiss, which was about when everyone back in camp (except for Nobunaga) discreetly turned away from watching the couple. When they separated, Kagome said something else before releasing him and making her way back to camp. As she passed Nobunaga, he noticed that she seemed much less agitated and much more self-satisfied, even with the blush dusting her cheeks.

It was another few moments before Toyohisa came back to sit next to Nobunaga. He was quiet for a few seconds before turning to Nobunaga and saying "Your advice is shit."

"How do you figure?" Nobunaga chuckled. "It seemed to work out well enough for you."

"She kissed me, called me an idiot, and told me she's still going back onto the battlefield tomorrow."

Nobunaga laughed outright at that. "Maybe that's not such a bad thing. With the two of you making sure the other doesn't die, we might just have a shot of taking tomorrow's battle and, eventually, this war." He watched Toyohisa grumble before the younger man grabbed his bowl and went back for seconds. Nobunaga may have helped prod him in the right direction love-wise this time, but Toyohisa was officially on his own where Kagome was concerned. After all, Nobunaga needed to keep _some_ form of entertainment around camp.


	50. Aizawa (My Hero Academia) II

Series: Inuyasha/My Hero Academia  
Paring: Kagome/Shouta Aizawa  
Prompt: The way you said "I love you" - Muffled, from the other side of the door.

* * *

Aizawa stood outside the hospital door staring at the caution and quarantine signs posted on the door, warning away anyone who wasn't a doctor or nurse. Quarantine. Observation. Unknown pathogen. These words had been thrown around in reference to Kagome and several other heroes and civilians at the center of an attack, but Aizawa was far from happy with anything he'd been told.

Stepping over to the private room's large observation window, Aizawa stood near the edge, discreetly watching Kagome as she sat in bed reading. She seemed fine, but for how long? He'd already checked on some of the others who'd been exposed to the same strange mist as Kagome, and many weren't doing well. Kagome had been placed in a private observation room because she was the only one not showing symptoms.

He watched as Kagome paused in her reading, but he was a second too late in stepping away from the window when she glanced his way. Partially hidden in the shadows of the darkened hallway, he watched as Kagome set her book aside and slid from the hospital bed, her figure drowned in the shapeless hospital gown.

He finally stepped completely away from the window as she approached. He didn't want her to see the worry on his face, how he knew it was translating into his posture. Instead, he pressed his back to her door and slid down until he was seated on cool tile.

"Shouta?" His name was washed out and soft through the glass where Kagome stood, hand pressed against the surface to try and get a closer look into the hallway. When she spotted his feet stretched out in front of her door, she moved over to similarly sit in the floor. "Shouta? Is that you?"

Her voice was a little clearer with the proximity and he had to admit that it was nice to hear her say his name. "Yes," he answered. "How are you feeling?"

Kagome situated herself into a more comfortable position as she started talking. "I feel fine," she insisted. "But they said since I was exposed with the others, I have to stay here until they figure out what it is and how to treat it."

"I know," Aizawa nodded even though she couldn't see him. He'd spoken with every doctor working the case. Tests were being run, but they still didn't have much information on what they were dealing with. They were only treating symptoms for the moment.

"How are the others?" Kagome asked. Every doctor and nurse she asked seemed to dodge the question, and that made her more nervous than anything else.

"They're…" Aizawa hesitated. He couldn't lie, but he didn't want to tell her the truth either. "They're not well."

"Oh," Kagome's voice was small, and she wasn't sure if Aizawa had even heard her through the door. "Have the found the one responsible for the attack yet?"

"Yes, but he isn't talking about it," Aizawa sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. He'd even gone to interrogate the villain himself, but nothing useful was gained from it. Everything seemed to be riding on the doctors at this point.

"I'm fine though," Kagome repeated, unable to completely remove the doubt from her voice. "I haven't shown any of the symptoms of whatever this is."

Aizawa bit his tongue to keep himself from saying "yet" and instead said, "Maybe you weren't infected. Or you could be immune."

"Yeah," Kagome agreed with a weak laugh. "I'm sure that's it."

He hated this; being separated, the tired tone to her usually happy voice, not knowing what was happening or being able to do anything about it. "I love you," he blurted out before he could stop the words.

Kagome froze, feeling her chest tighten and her eyes burn. The words were soft, barely making it through the door, but they were unmistakable. And the fact that Aizawa was saying them here, now, for the first time, under these circumstances, told her exactly how bad things really looked.

Pushing herself to her feet, she walked back to the window and knocked on it to get Aizawa's attention. She pressed her hand flat against the glass and waited until he did the same on the other side before she looked up, swallowed back the knot in her throat, and smiled, "I love you too." His reaction was not what she expected.

Aizawa's eyes were wide and his face was drained of color. His hand dropped from the glass as she asked, "What's wrong?"

Kagome could see his chest shudder as he struggled to keep his breath steady. "I'm–" He had to stop to clear his throat and try again, "I'm going to go find a doctor. Go lie down until I get back. Please."

Watching him walk away without another word, Kagome's confusion didn't last long. With only the dark hallway on the other side of the window, it essentially became a mirror and Kagome could finally see the dark trails running down her cheeks in her reflection. Reaching up a hand to touch her face, her heart sank when she pulled it back to see her tears were tinted a watery red.


	51. Mikoto (K (K-Project) II

Series: Inuyasha/K (K-project)  
Pairing: Kagome/Mikoto  
Prompt: The way you said "I love you" - A whisper in the ear.

* * *

Legs were tangled together under the sheets as Mikoto laid behind Kagome, arm draped over her waist while she played with his hand and fingers. They were both awake and simply enjoying the other's presence. Safe and content, it wasn't a moment that either wanted to break; a quiet moment, room barely lit by the soft gray of pre-dawn, seemingly frozen in time.

Kagome smoothed her thumbs across Mikoto's large palm before moving her fingers up to trace his fingers. She knew every line of his palm, every scar from old fights, knew exactly how warm his hands naturally were. She knew how dangerous these hands could be and understood how they could inspire fear in others, but she also knew that she would never have anything to fear from them. She was the safest person in the world exactly where she was.

Bringing his hand closer, she kissed the center of his palm before pressing it to her cheek. She smiled when his thumb gently stroked her face and breathed a soft laugh when his pinky stretched down to tap the tip of her nose. Hugging his arm closer, she pressed her back further into his chest.

Mikoto responded in kind, squeezing her tighter with his arm. He laid a kiss on her neck right behind her ear before tilting his chin up and whispering, "I love you."

Kagome smiled, a little flutter in her heart every time she heard him say the words, but it was accompanied by a pressure in her chest that strangled the breath from her lungs and made her throat ache.

Mikoto's thumb was still tracing the curve of her cheek as tears gathered in her eyes. When they finally spilled, they ran in the opposite direction of his hand, but he didn't miss the way her breath shuddered with her next inhale. "What's wrong?" He asked quietly, still not wanting to disturb the room's tranquility.

Shaking her head, Kagome's voice was small as she answered, "I don't know." And she didn't. The sense of dread and heartache in such a peaceful moment were a mystery to her, but Mikoto's words had simultaneously warmed and broken her heart. "I'm just-" she tried to speak before her throat tightened and she had to try again. "I'm just…scared. I love you, but I'm afraid you're going to leave, that one day you aren't going to be here anymore."

"I'm here now," he told her, nuzzling his nose into her dark hair. "I'm here and I love you." Holding her as she shook and continued to cry, Mikoto let her get it out of her system as he continued to reassure her, "I'm here. I love you. I would never leave you if I could help it."

Kagome nodded at his words, hearing the sincerity in his voice and feeling the conviction in his hold.

Waking with a sudden gasp, Kagome blinked bleary eyes against the soft gray pre-dawn light that had taken over the room while she slept. As her mind cleared from her dream haze, she realized that she was cold. And her pillow was damp. Wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand, she rolled over to her other side to where her pillow was still dry.

Before she closed her eyes, she stared at the empty spot on the other side of the large bed where the sheets were still smooth, cool, and undisturbed. A fresh wave of tears started to fall as she grabbed the unused pillow and hugged it to her chest.

It was cold.


	52. Aoba (Dramatical Murder) III

Series: Inuyasha/Dramatical Murder  
Pairing: Kagome/Aoba  
Prompt: First meeting after Aoba loses his memories

* * *

Aoba could not for the life of him figure out why this woman was glaring at him with such obvious contempt. The last couple of weeks after finally leaving the hospital had been full of odd moments and interactions, but nothing quite like this. This wasn't a thug trying to fight him or people avoiding him with something that appeared to be fear or caution. This was a small woman who looked like she was trying to set him on fire with her thoughts alone.

He stiffened when she finally marched up to him. "What are you up to?" She demanded. "You're never this quiet. I know you're up to something."

"I'm sorry?" Aoba questioned. He honestly had no idea what was going on but got the distinct impression that he knew this woman and maybe, just _maybe_ , not in a great way.

Kagome reared back at the apology and even just the tone of voice. It was softer, unsure, maybe even a little scared. It most definitely wasn't the confident and cocky Sly she knew. But there was absolutely no mistaking Sly Blue. There was no one else on the island that looked enough like him to confuse him with anyone else. "Are you sick?" Kagome asked, unable to think of any other explanation for his behavior.

"Not exactly?" Aoba answered, rubbing the back of his neck, suddenly feeling very awkward under the woman's intent and scrutinizing stare. "I had an accident a few weeks ago, and I don't remember much from before that. Do you…know me?" He asked but already had a good idea of what the answer was. She must. There was no way should could have such disdain for him and _not_ know him.

"Yeah," Kagome answered slowly, taking in the open and soft features on Sly's usually sharp face. "I mean," she trailed off, at a loss. This man, this new person wearing Sly Blue's face, was not the man she knew. "I don't know," she finally said. "I guess I don't."

"Well, I'm Aoba," he introduced himself, hoping to try and repair whatever damaged reputation he had with this woman.

Kagome looked at the outstretched hand offered to her warily. Was this some sort of trick? She wouldn't put it past Sly. But this man, Aoba, seemed so completely different from the person she knew. Everything from his speech and tone of voice to his gestures and expressions had done a complete 180. Finally, cautiously, she took his hand and offered, "Kagome."


	53. Leo (Blood Blockade Battlefront) II

Series: Inuyasha/Blood Blockade Battlefront  
Pairing: Kagome/Leonardo Watch  
Prompt: song "Something Just Like This" by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay

* * *

She was amazing, Leo thought.

Kagome was about the same size he was and still stood on equal ground with other Libra members, fighting alongside them to protect the people of the city. Bright and beautiful and strong and so many things he himself just…wasn't.

She never shied away from Zapp's razzing or flinched under Klaus's heavy gaze. She wasn't scared of the people and creatures they fought against, but she wasn't hard or what anyone (who hadn't faced her in battle) would call intimidating. She was still kind and friendly and approachable and everyone who met her seemed to love her. Leo knew he definitely wasn't alone in that.

So why had she chosen _him_?

Every time they went out on dates or even just sat around the office together, Leo could feel other people watching them, and it never failed to make him feel at least a little self-conscious. Everyone had to be wondering the same thing: how did _he_ end up with _her_? Why would someone so radiant date such an ordinary guy? Leo knew he definitely questioned it.

Jumping a little when Kagome flung herself onto the couch next to him, he looked at the top of her head when she automatically leaned on his shoulder. "I'm so tired," she sighed as she went lax beside him.

"Sorry," Leo sympathized, gently resting his head against hers. He knew that she'd taken up training in hand-to-hand combat with Zed so that she could be better prepared for the unexpected during missions, and Leo found himself admiring her just a little more. Stretching his fingers out, he let the tips graze against the back of Kagome's hand before he drew them back. He still had trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that they were in an actual relationship, how was he supposed to initiate even little intimacies?

But, as she usually did, Kagome crossed that bridge for him and took his hand in hers, squeezing lightly. Things were quiet between them as Kagome rested still against his shoulder and he ran his thumb along her fingers.

"Leo?" Kagome asked, her voice quiet.

"Hm?"

Pulling away to sit up and get a better look at him, Kagome continued, "Is something wrong? You seem tense. Fidgety."

"Oh, ah…" Leo fumbled for a moment before his nerves caused him to fall back into a smile and a small bout of awkward laughter. "No, no, everything's fine," he tried to assure her as he rubbed a hand through his fluffy hair. When Kagome continued to stare at him, he could feel his mouth start to run away with him. "I just, you know…have a hard time believing you ever wanted to go out with someone like me." More nervous laughter worked its way up his throat when her mouth pulled down into a frown. Swallowing, he tried to will his mouth to stay shut but had no such luck. "I mean, aside from my eyes, there's nothing that special about me, especially compared to the people we work with. I'm not particularly fast or strong. I'm not tall or super masculine. I don't have much money–"

Leo was abruptly cut off when Kagome pressed her fingers against his lips. "Hey," she told him in a firm voice, "don't talk like that about yourself."

"But–" He tried again before her entire hand covered his mouth to halt whatever he was about to say.

"No," she told him again. Sitting up a little straighter and turning to face him directly, Kagome laid into him. "Now you listen to me, Leonardo Watch. You are one of the sweetest people I know. You're kind and considerate. You're smart and you're clever. You're funny and always try to cheer me up when I'm sad. You're brave and you work hard. You're cute and I don't break my neck trying to look up at you. You're amazing." She smiled when a light pink dusted across his nose and cheeks just above her hand. Lifting her hand a little, she asked, "And did you forget that _I_ asked _you_ out on our first date?"

"Well, no, but–" He was cut off again as Kagome shook her head.

"No buts," she told him seriously. "If I didn't want to be with you, I wouldn't be." She paused as his eyes widened a fraction, the soft blue glow leaking out just enough to shine on his cheeks and her hand. "This," she said lifting their hands where their fingers were still intertwined. "I like this. This is exactly what I want. With you. I'm not looking for anything else. Just this. Okay?"

Wordlessly, partially because of Kagome's hand and partially because he simply didn't have the words, Leo nodded. He could feel his heart clenching in his throat as Kagome removed her hand from his mouth and he tried not to cry. Glancing down, he shut his eyes, not wanting the shine to catch in the few forming tears.

Out of everyone, she'd chosen him.

"Hey," Kagome spoke again in a softer tone.

When Leo looked back up, he was caught off guard by the soft press of Kagome's lips against his. It was gentle and chaste and made Leo's still-clenching heart shoot straight up into his throat, stealing away his breath. Kagome pulled away first, but not before one last quick peck, and asked "Are you okay? Are we good?"

Leo had to swallow around where his heart was still lodged in his throat, but he managed a sincere smile and nodded happily. They were better than good in his book. They were great. Together. As they were. Just like this.

"No fraternizing at work," Zapp huffed as he walked by the couch and roughly mussed Leo's hair.

Immediately rising to his defense, Kagome grabbed a couch pillow and chucked it at the back of Zapp's head, hitting him dead on. By the time the taller man had turned around to start his revenge, Kagome had already hauled Leo off the couch and was running away with him, laughing as they made their getaway together.


	54. Knuckle & Shoot (Hunter x Hunter)

Series: Inuyasha/Hunter x Hunter  
Pairing: Knuckle/Kagome/Shoot  
Note: I wrote this for myself. super self-indulgent

* * *

Knuckle cursed the way the front door creaked after being opened to a certain point. He was trying to slip in quietly, damn it.

"You're late," Shoot called from the kitchen.

Groaning, Knuckle bit out, "I know. My damn phone died and I didn't have a way to charge it on my way back." In his defense, he was only a day late getting home from a job. He doubted that would make much difference to Kagome though. Things had been different since the NGL and Chimera Ants. Not that he could really blame her.

She ran a small veterinary clinic in the country that stretched out after leaving Swaldani City. The clinic, which was also attached to her house, doubled as an animal rescue for lost and abandoned pets. That was how the two beast hunters had come to meet her.

Knuckle had a penchant for helping strays, though he couldn't really keep any pets himself since he often had to travel for work. So late one evening, creeping into the early hours of the morning, after many frustrating calls to shelters that were full or closed, he and Shoot found themselves traveling to the outskirts of the city to the only shelter that answered and said they had room.

Kagome had taken in the small box of four puppies happily and with a sleepy smile. She also became Knuckle's go-to because she never turned him away when he showed up with another animal in need.

Knuckle (and Shoot, after some prodding) began donating portions of their earnings to Kagome's clinic/shelter to help ease her financial burden since they kept leaving animals with her. Then one day over breakfast (because they'd just gotten back into town from a job early that morning, but there was this very pregnant stray cat, you see), Kagome pointed out "I have a couple of spare rooms, you know."

Whether dropping off new animals or checking up on old ones, the two men realized they spent nearly as much time at Kagome's home as they did either of their own.

After much discussion and listing of pro's and con's, it was decided that the two of them would take up Kagome's offer on her spare rooms. It gave both men a stable address for official forms that mail and documents could be sent to and reliably received. There was the added bonus of being able to come home to a warm house with fresh food in the kitchen. And their donations turned into rent.

But then Knuckle and Shoot took off for a job that took them to the Republic of Rokario where they'd fight Gon and Killua for the chance to go to the NGL. They hadn't been expecting to be gone for as long as they were, and with everything that had been going on, they hadn't had time or thought to let Kagome know when to expect them back.

It wasn't until after everything was over and they were on the mend in the hospital that they realized how big of a mistake they'd made.

Knuckle, patched up the few places he needed it, was sitting in Shoot's room with Morel when there was a flare of aura from down the hallway. Sitting upright instantly, with wide eyes. He recognized the aura the second he felt it, had felt it often enough at home, but he'd never realized how big it was, how strong. Knuckle looked to Shoot, who was still unconscious from one last round of surgery, before his eyes shot to his teacher.

"What is she doing here?" Knuckle asked, anxiety building as the source of frazzled aura quickly drew closer.

"You do remember that she's listed as the emergency contact for both of you, right?" Morel responded, not looking up from his magazine.

It was then that Kagome appeared in the doorway, panting as though she'd just run up several flights of stairs and the hall to reach the room. Hell, maybe she had. But her eyes landed on Knuckle first and he recoiled at the fire there.

Her eyes scanned over him quickly, taking in the few bandages but seeing that he was mostly unscathed before she tore into him. Or tried to, at least. "How could you...you just...and then...I can't believe..." She couldn't quite seem to find her words or where she wanted to start, and Knuckle felt a little fear prickle across the back of his neck when she finally took a deep breath to let him have it. It was then, however, that her eyes finally shifted over to the bed only to freeze there.

Knuckle watched her breath leave her all at once. Her shoulders dropped and in less than three seconds, Knuckle watched as all of the anger and frustration Kagome had blown in with crumbled, leaving her only with fear and worry. The way her expression broke apart when she saw Shoot lying in that bed, the way her tears had welled up before finally spilling down her cheeks, was something Knuckle would never forget. It hit him like a punch to the gut.

Kagome didn't say another word as she pulled a chair to Shoot's bedside and took his hand. She was still crying as her hands began to glow pink in a technique Knuckle had only ever seen her use on animals, on where Kagome suffused her aura through a particularly sick or injured patient to help boost their natural healing.

She came and went like that for three days. Showing up in the mornings and left in the evenings, sometimes bringing food or clothes, sitting with Shoot, not speaking to either of them until they were both well enough to take the tongue-lashing that they knew was coming.

But three days was apparently enough time for Kagome to calm down. She certainly wasn't happy, but there wasn't any yelling. Her only condition that she made both of them promise to abide by was that they had to let her know when they were leaving for a job and when they'd be back, giving her a heads up if they were going to be longer than expected.

Which was the problem Knuckle found himself currently faced with. He knew he was late returning home. After they had disappeared for months without a word and returned beaten and broken, Kagome had become a little prone to assuming the worst if they weren't home when they said they would be.

"Where is she?" Knuckle asked as he stepped into the kitchen where Shoot was sitting at the table but had his nen hands working on making breakfast. He still wasn't quite cleared for field work again, but was almost finished with his physical therapy.

"Outside feeding the dogs," Shoot said. "She's also not in a good mood."

"I was afraid of that," Knuckle said as he sank into a chair at the small breakfast table. He didn't like it when Kagome was mad at him.

When they'd first moved in with her, it had just been an arrangement between acquaintances that was mutually beneficial for all of them. Then they'd steadily gotten closer and become friends during the down times when the hunters were home. Sharing meals, grocery shopping, helping around the clinic, Friday night arguments over what movie they were going to watch. It was homey in a way that neither man had experienced in a long time. Though sharing a single bathroom had initially presented some interesting challenges.

Knuckle was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the back door open followed by a stampede of footsteps. There were five dogs in particular from the shelter that none of them could bear to part with and had ended up deciding to foster themselves.

Laughing as they all swarmed him, the biggest trying to climb into his lap, Knuckle let himself enjoy the canine affection until he felt a chill run down his spine. Kagome was now in the kitchen plating the food that Shoot had been cooking, and she was very pointedly _not_ looking at him.

Kagome walked over to the table with three plates, maybe setting Knuckle's down with a little more force than necessary. She was just about to sit down when there was a commotion from the back yard. With a sigh, she straightened back up and said to Shoot, "I'll be right back, you go ahead and start eating without me."

Knuckle watched her go and felt his chest go tight. Being ignored by Kagome was almost physically painful. He caught Shoot giving him a look and snapped, "What?"

"Just apologize and get it over with," the older man advised, taking a bite of his breakfast. When Knuckle only groaned and let his forehead meet the table, Shoot added, "And maybe tell her while you're at it."

"Tell her what?" Knuckle asked from where his face was still pressed to wood.

"How you feel about her," Shoot said calmly, as though it should be obvious.

"I could say the same to you," Knuckle grumbled while turning a glare up at his hunting partner.

Shoot continued to eat even as color rose to his cheeks. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Chicken," Knuckle muttered as he finally sat up. "You're full of shit."

It was then that Kagome returned to the kitchen and took her seat, the three of them eating in tense silence until Knuckle couldn't take it any longer. "I'm sorry," he blurted out. "My phone died. I didn't mean to make you worry."

Kagome stared at him for several long seconds before she sighed and gave him a softer look. "I found your phone charger in the living room after you left," she said. "Just...promise you'll take it or an extra battery with you next time. I know you're both professionals and good at what you do, but I still worry."

"Yeah," Knuckle agreed feeling awkward, but with that the tension seemed to melt away, leaving Kagome's usual light as she began to tell him a story about some mischief the dogs had gotten up to while he was away.

It was nice, having breakfast together like this. Even as he laughed and told his housemates about how his job had gone, Knuckle wondered what things would be like, how things would change, if one or both of them ever actually admitted to having feelings for the petite woman who essentially took care of them.

Things might change, but something told him they probably wouldn't. Not that much, anyway. If there was one thing he was sure of at this point, it was that Kagome had a very large heart, possibly with room enough to accept both of them. If they ever said anything, that is.


	55. Odasaku (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Series: Inuyasha/Bungou Stray Dogs  
Pairing: Kagome/Oda Sakunosuke (Odasaku)  
Prompt: Panicked Reveal

* * *

Dazai was distantly aware of the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, but he was too focused on Odasaku and his words to give them much thought. It was only Odasaku's hand was falling away from his face that the footsteps stopped.

Slowly glancing up, Dazai saw a woman standing in the open doorway to the large hall where the massacre had taken place. Her hands were pressed against the doorway as she heaved deep breaths. Dazai distantly noted the cut ropes still dangling from her wrists and a cloth gag hanging around her neck. A split second later she was moving again, rushing forward before falling to her knees and sliding on the floor beside Odasaku.

"No," she breathed, eyes darting over Odasaku's prone form between them. "No, no, no, no, no." She didn't even look up as she pushed against Dazai's chest saying, "Move, I need room."

Dazai could only watch, shocked and wide-eyed in confusion, as this small woman's hands quickly fluttered over Odasaku, searching him before she gently rolled him onto his side and frowned. "Entrance, but I don't see the exit," she mumbled to herself.

"Who are you?" Dazai asked, voice quiet as his heart continued to break at the loss of his friend.

"A doctor," the woman answered quickly before looking up at him for the first time. Without hesitation, she grabbed his hand and placed it on Odasaku's shoulder while saying, "Hold him here, just like this."

Unable to question the confidence in the order, Dazai did as told and watched the doctor work. He only opened his mouth to question her when she pressed her palms into the growing pool of Odasaku's blood on the floor, but he held his tongue when pink light immediately erupted from her.

The doctor pressed one hand against the entry would left by the bullet and light consumed her hand. As the light continued to glow, she pressed two bloodied fingers to Odasaku's throat and her eat to his chest. Quiet seconds dragged by before the light began to fade and she pulled away from Odasaku with a sigh.

Dazai was going to ask what she'd done but she was already speaking again. "The wound is closed and he's still alive for now, but the bullet is still inside and he's lost a lot of blood. Can you help me get him to a hospital?"

In that moment, in the way the doctor's blue eyes were boring into him, pleading for help, Dazai realized that he and this woman had a very common goal for the moment: saving Odasaku.

He nodded.

* * *

Consciousness came back to him slowly, but as it did Odasaku wished it would stop. He felt like he'd been hit by a truck. A few times.

Odasaku struggled to remember what had happened before things started quickly snapping back into clarity. He'd been shot. All things considered, getting shot only once was impressive. But he'd lived. That wasn't something he'd planned on.

He knew that he was in a bed, likely a hospital by the sounds and smells. Opening his eyes was awful. Everything was too bright and even without the light, his eyes ached. Drowsy, he took in his surroundings and realized that yes, he was in a hospital. He was also the only one in his room. For a moment he tried to sit up, but a pain in his back forced him to lie down again. Just as he was resettling against his pillows, his ability kicked in and he almost choked.

Eyes immediately fixing on the door to his room, Odasaku held his breath as he waited, counting the seconds until the door opened and Kagome stepped inside. When she finally looked up and saw him awake and watching her, they simply stared at each other, both looking as though they were seeing a ghost.

When time seemed to start moving again, things happened quickly. The coffee cup in Kagome's hand fell to the floor, splashing its contents across the tile as she ran forward and was at the edge of the bed. She had his face in her hands as soon as she reached him, eyes flicking over his features for confirmation that he was really there and awake, and the next thing Odasaku knew, she was pulling him in for a desperate kiss.

The shock and sudden movement caused him to grunt, and Kagome quickly broke the kiss but only pulled back a fraction. Their foreheads were still touching as she shook her head and apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wasn't sure you'd wake up. You lost so much blood."

As she continued to ramble, reality finally crashed into Odasaku. Kagome was _there_. Her forehead was warm against his. He could smell her shampoo. Her fingertips were soft as they traced over his cheeks. And she was _alive_. If he thought he'd enjoyed hearing her talk before, it was nothing compared to the swell of emotion the sound brought to his chest then. He couldn't even respond to anything she was saying. He simply reached his hands up and pulled her back across the tiny gap to kiss her again.

A spot in his back twinged in pain and a tube running to the back of his hand tugged, but he didn't care. Kagome's lips were impossibly soft and he felt like new life was being breathed into his lungs with every breath shared between them.

Finally, the kiss broke again and he realized that his cheeks were wet. "How are you here?" His voice was rough with emotion and disuse, but he had to know. He had to be sure this wasn't some horrible illusion. "I saw…the van….you and the kids…" The memory that swept through his mind caused his hand to tighten minutely in Kagome's hair, but she was already shaking her head again, relieved laugh bubbling up with a watery hiccup.

"It wasn't real," she said. "The van was there, but we weren't inside. It was someone's ability, some sort of illusion. We were already somewhere else." Then she smiled and added what was the final crack in the dam holding back all of his tears. "The kids are fine. They've been waiting for you to wake up."

Odasaku choked out a laugh and kissed Kagome again. Despite being in a hospital bed after being shot and very likely nearly dying, he felt incredibly light in that moment. But the moment was broken by a soft giggle from the doorway.

Kagome pulled away just enough to turn her head and they both saw Dazai standing behind a small group of children, all six of them looking far too pleased at the sight before them.

Sighing with a soft laugh, Kagome turned her attention back to Odasaku, still not daring to put more than a few inches between them. "I told you they've been waiting. And so have I."

His heart was hammering in his chest, adrenaline at everything that had just happened coursing through him and making him feel light and fuzzy, and Odasaku had to agree. He felt like he'd been waiting for a moment like this for a long time.


	56. Ame (Wolf Children)

Series: Inuyasha/Wolf Children  
Pairing: Kagome/Ame  
Prompt: Blushies, Puppydog Lovers

* * *

Being pack leader was hard.

Kouga sighed deeply and had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. One would think that being the head of what was (as far as he knew) the last clan of wolf demons in Japan would come with greater stresses than having to watch the pack's newest member fawn over one of his oldest and dearest friends. And yet, here he was, watching as the wolf-boy Ame trailed after Kagome almost everywhere she went like a lovesick pup. But maybe that's exactly what he was.

If he thought very far back, Kouga could remember a time when he wasn't much better, and he prayed that he hadn't looked so openly, hopelessly smitten. The big difference between the past and present was that Kagome was returning her wolf suitor's affections.

It was turning into a form of entertainment for the rest of the pack. The glances, the blushing, the hushed words and giggles, the literal tail-wagging when Ame happened to be in his wolf form. Everyone else thought it was adorable and endless amounts of fun to watch.

Except for Kouga. He didn't object to the pair. Of course he would want to see his friend happy, especially after all that she'd left behind to stay with his pack and had done to make sure that their land remained protected as a reserve in the eyes of the human government. His concern came from knowing that one day he'd need to have a talk with Ame about how he'd be expected to care for his intended mate as a member of their pack.

It was something that most children in their clan learned as they grew up, seeing them mated pairs around them and learning what would be expected. But Ame hadn't grown up with them, didn't know all of their customs, and would need things laid out. It wasn't a conversation Kouga had ever needed to have before and he wasn't sure how he'd go about it, honestly.

He watched as a human Ame slowly leaned close to Kagome and gently nuzzled his nose against her cheek, both of them pink in the cheeks and laughing softly together. Kouga finally couldn't take it anymore. He rolled his eyes with a groan and turned to go find something else, _anything else_ , to do other than watch two young lovebirds.

* * *

"Okay, next please," Kagome smiled as she held her hand out for the wet sheet. Ame had volunteered to help her hang out her laundry to dry, and Kagome couldn't remember the last time the chore had been as pleasant.

Ame brought over the sheet and helped Kagome stretch it out across the line before they each pinned a corner in place. He could just make out her silhouette through the white fabric as the sun shone down on them. Reaching out, he pressed a hand against the sheet as though he could reach through it and touch the woman on the other side.

He was startled when a hand met his on the other side, pressing back before slotting their fingers together as much as the material would allow. Ame could feel his cheeks heating up as his heart sped up. He knew that they were often being watched. Not because the pack was necessarily nosy (though quite a few members were) but simply due to the close living quarters between the cave and Kagome's small cabin. Still, even knowing that someone might see them and knowing that he might be teased later, he allowed himself to smile as the heat from their hands warmed the cool dampness of the sheet between them.

Then Kagome was pulling her hand away and Ame followed her silhouette to the end of the sheet before she poked her head around the side. There, surrounded by the white of the laundry and the green of the forest and bathed in the light of the afternoon sun, Ame thought not for the first time about how beautiful Kagome was, especially when she smiled at him, cheeks just as flushed as his felt.

"Come on," she said, extending her hand to him. "There are a few more chores that need to be done that I could use some help with." After a moment, her blush darkened just a shade as she added, "If you don't mind, that is."

Ame nodded as he reached for Kagome's hand, slipping his easily into hers and feeling his heart stutter just a bit. Her hand was so small and warm and soft, and he didn't think there would ever be a day that he wouldn't love holding it.

He loved being a wolf. He loved running through the forest, feeling the earth beneath the pads of his huge paws. He loved the way his fur felt as she shook it out. He loved hearing more, seeing more, smelling more. He loved the way Kagome's fingers felt comping through the ruff around his neck or tracing the edges of his ears. But there were definite perks to being human.

As Ame slipped his fingers between Kagome's and squeezed lightly, he thought that this was definitely one of them. The warm tingle that spread through him whenever his skin touched Kagome's was worth the sensitive feet that required shoes and the restricting clothes. But even that was nothing compared to the giddy feeling he got as Kagome briefly leaned into him as they walked together.

Their moment was broken by someone whistling at them from nearby, and as Kagome blushed and laughed at being spotted, Ame thought that yes, even the occasional teasing from the pack was most definitely worth what he'd found in his life with Kagome.


	57. Lance (Voltron: Legendary Defender) III

Series: Inuyasha/Voltron: Legendary Defender  
Pairing: Kagome/Lance  
Prompt: kiss me under the starry sky (continuation to previous 2 Lance stories)

* * *

Lance held Kagome's hand tightly as they crept through the halls together secret agent style - sticking close to walls, taking halls rarely used by the others, Lance peeking around every corner before they rounded it while softly humming what he _insisted_ was a spy theme, though Kagome had never heard it before.

It wasn't that they were anywhere they weren't supposed to be or that they were getting into mischief, but Kagome had gotten _that look_ again. It was something subtle, something Lance was always the first (and maybe only) to recognize, and something that made his heart ache. It was a faraway look. It was a look that said Kagome wasn't really there in the moment anymore. Lance had an idea of where Kagome went when she drifted away like that, but he never asked. He would wait until she was ready to talk on her own. Until then, he'd do his best to keep her in the present.

"Lance," Kagome whispered as she attempted to smother a giggle, slinking along the wall as the taller boy pulled her down seemingly random hallways. "Where are we going?"

"That," Lance said, checking around one more corner before turning around to smile at her, "is a surprise." When Kagome's smile widened in excitement, Lance tugged her hand again and said, "C'mon, we're almost there."

Kagome followed, heart racing in anticipation and excitement. Lance's ideas were always...something. Sometimes they were amazing, sometimes they were a little misguided, but she knew that they all had the best of intentions behind them. So on the occasions that he would tell her that he had a surprise or something new to show her, she'd learned to trust him, for better or worse. It was always an adventure.

About halfway down the hall they'd last turned into, Lance pulled Kagome into a dark room before the door quietly slid closed behind them. Kagome tried to fight the panicked response that welled up inside her, but it was too fast, too intense. Her hand tightened around his almost painfully as her other hand also rose to hold onto his arm in an attempt to pull him closer. "Lance," she breathed in a short whisper.

"I know, I know," Lance tried to soothe her immediately. "Sorry, I didn't think about the door closing so fast. But it's okay," he said as his free hand felt through the dark until finally landing on her shoulder and gently rubbing up and down her arm. "I'm here, right? It's just us. We're in the castle. Everything's okay. Give me just a minute." Taking his hand from where he'd been rubbing her arm, he started fumbling along the wall by the door. "I know that panel is around here somewhere."

He could feel Kagome's grip starting to tighten on him again just as he felt the smooth touch screen panel under his fingers. It lit up under his touch and momentarily blinded him before his eyes were able to adjust. "There," he breathed. "That's a little better. Now let's see..." He could see Kagome casting glances around the still dark room as he tapped at the screen, really only understanding some of the symbols displayed. But eventually, he heard what he'd been waiting for; a low hum as dark panels lowered away from the walls behind them.

Lance could feel Kagome's grip on him gradually slacken before her hands fell away entirely. He turned to watch as she slowly walked towards what was now a wall of windows before tentatively reaching out to press her hand against the glass. "Wow," she breathed.

With no glow or lights in the room around them, there was nothing to take away, dampen, or distract from the view of space and stars that lay out infinitely in front of them.

Kagome typically kept to the interior areas of the castle, and Lance hadn't thought much of it until he'd offered to take her for a ride in his lion. He tried offering several times, but each time she would politely turn him down with a different excuse. Finally, something had clicked for Lance. Kagome had been abducted. She'd been taken and transported light-years from home before being imprisoned on an alien planet. Space had become something scary for her, and that broke Lance's heart.

Sure, it was vast and unknown and dangerous at times, but it was also beautiful and breathtaking and incredibly humbling once you realized your place in it. Lance wasn't sure yet if this was his best idea or his worst, but he wanted to try and share how he saw space with Kagome. He wanted her to be able to have the same sense of wonder he'd felt when looking out at the stars ever since he was a little kid.

"What do you think?" He asked a little hesitantly, almost afraid of what Kagome might say, even if she seemed to be transfixed for the moment.

"It's..." Kagome trailed off, trying to find the words. Did the right words even exist? Finally deciding that they didn't, she said, "It's so big."

Lance laughed as he fell into a cross-legged sit on the floor in front of the glass wall. "It's definitely that." Kagome gradually followed him into the floor, never taking her eyes off the stars. After several silent minutes of watching Kagome watch the stars, Lance quietly asked, "So you're not scared?"

"Scared?" Kagome softly echoed, still not looking away from the abyss around them.

Nodding, Lance clarified, "Of that. Of space."

Kagome seemed to think for a minute, sitting back away from the glass a little and wrapping her arms around her legs. Finally she answered, "Not of this, no."

"Of what's out there?" Lance guessed. When Kagome simply nodded her answer, Lanced nodded too, able to understand that much. Turning his attention to look out at the stars as well, he admitted, "I am too, you know."

"What?"

"I think we all are to some extent," he answered honestly. "The entire team, Allura, Coran. I think we're all at least a little afraid of what could be out there or what could happen. But that's okay." Looking over at Kagome, Lance saw that she was already looking at him too. "I just didn't want you to be afraid of _this_."

It was quiet between them for a few seconds before Kagome smiled at him and softly said, "Thanks, Lance."

"Yeah, of course," Lance nodded, turning his attention back to the stars as he did his best to ignore the heat in his cheeks or the tightness in his chest.

"What is this room, anyway?" Kagome asked as she twisted around to try and see as much of the dark room they were in as she could. From what she could make out it was just an empty room, though it was decently sized. Definitely not a closet or storage space.

"Honestly, I have no idea," Lance laughed as he leaned back on his hands. "I just sort of found it one day while I was wandering around. I don't know what it used to be, if it was ever anything other than an empty room, and I've never asked Allura or Coran."

"Oh," Kagome said as she looked through the darkness one more time before turning back to the stars. "Well, I kinda like it the way it is."

"Yeah, me too," Lance agreed. He could see Kagome start to fidget beside him and as much as he wanted to ask what was on her mind, he was able to push down the urge and wait until she was ready to talk on her own.

After a deep breath, Kagome shifted and scooted until she was right beside him and completely turned to face him. "Lance," she said before swallowing. "I...thank you."

Lance was caught a little off guard, but was able to recover enough to say, "You're welcome, but for what?"

Kagome fiddled with her fingers as she began to talk. "I know I haven't always been easy to be around since...you know." When Lance nodded that he understood she was talking about where he found her, Kagome continued, "But you've been there for me ever since I came to the castle, and you've always been really patient and nice and go out of your way to do things like this." She gestured vaguely out towards the glass wall before her hands fell in her lap again. "So...thanks."

Lance, for once, was speechless. He hadn't exactly planned for this. Really, he hadn't planned for much beyond 'look at some pretty stars and hope like hell it doesn't terrify Kagome'. But before Lance could start putting a response together, Kagome started speaking again.

"So even if I'm difficult or not always easy to be around, I'm glad you spend time with me, Lance." Kagome smiled at him, a little sad but still smiling nonetheless. "I like spending time with you."

Everything in Lance's mind dulled down to a soft buzz. For several seconds all he could do was breathe and blink before everything kicked back in and he immediately took Kagome's hand into his. "You are _not_ difficult to be around," he insisted, holding her gaze firmly, even in the limited light they had. "I have fun spending time with you in between all the training and fighting. I like seeing you smile. I-" Lance had to cut himself off before his sentence went any further. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. His mouth had gone bone dry. What had he been about to say?

He felt like he was suddenly hyper-aware of everything around him. The coolness of the room, the lightly textured floor under one hand, the way Kagome's fingers had curled around his ever-so-slightly, the way her breathing was just barely audible and just a tad faster than what he thought was probably normal. And Lance was terrified. It felt like a line that had been well defined before they entered the room was starting to blur. He was supposed to be Kagome's support, the one she went to when there were nightmares or too many memories crowding in. He still was. He couldn't imagine a time when he might not be. But this felt different.

Lance's heart leapt into his throat when Kagome shifted so that she was sitting directly beside him, their shoulders just barely brushing. Even sitting, there was a noticeable difference in their heights, causing Lance to tip his head down to be able to look at Kagome. She was watching him with an expression he was having trouble reading in the low light. He could just make out the way she was chewing slightly on her bottom lip before she stopped the motion completely, took a deep breath, released it, and let her eyes fall closed.

Lance felt a little sick. Was this okay? He knew what he wanted at this point, even if he was having a hard time admitting it to himself. He was _fairly certain_ of what Kagome wanted. But would he be taking advantage of a situation? He'd sworn to Shiro and Allura that he'd take care of Kagome, especially after how things had been after she'd first arrived. But things had changed. Or at least it felt like they had, with that line getting blurrier the longer he sat in his own thoughts.

Lifting a hand, Lance reached forward and hesitated several times before his fingertips barely touched the skin along Kagome's jaw. He tried to calm down, but he couldn't when he had so many questions. His heart was beating too fast. He was breathing too hard. He wanted to be suave and felt so painfully uncool, unable to just take the moment for what it was like in movies, but he had to ask. He had to be sure.

"Kagome," he whispered, so close to her face that he could feel her breath against his skin. When she opened her eyes to look at him, Lance had to remind himself to breathe. Swallowing, he pressed on, "I...are you-" The words weren't quite there, weren't quite right, but he eventually managed to ask, "Is this okay?"

Kagome blinked at him twice before smiling softly and nodding. Once again, she closed her eyes, and this time Lance wasn't filled with doubt.

Slowly, Lance drew closer until their lips brushed together in a ghost of a touch. It was soft and barely there and Lance could feel himself drowning in it, in every emotion that swelled to the surface with it. He swore his heart stopped, or maybe even time and space and everything around them, because in that moment it was just them and the stars.


End file.
